It is a fascinating and complex reality that we live in an era where internet access can sometimes outpace reliable electricity in certain regions, and power shutdowns have become more endurable than the ‘Internet Server down’ message flashing across the screens of our hand-held devices.
India has seen a significant surge in internet penetration, becoming the second-largest online market globally after China, with more than 886 million users in 2024, representing 55.3% of the population. This growth is driven by factors such as affordable smartphones and data plans, and the Digital India programme. Internet penetration in India grew from 13% to 5% while in the United States, it grew from 74% to 97% between 2014 to 2024.
Globally, a significant portion of children are online, with about one in three internet users being under 18. In India, children aged between five and 11 constitute roughly 15% of active internet users. While we read this, we also must be cognisant of the fact that India is one of the countries with the highest number of under-18s, poised to be the youngest country in the world by 2025. On average, eight to 12-year-olds spend 5.5 hours a day using screen media, excluding time spent online for educational and homework purposes. For teenagers aged 13 to 18 years, screen time rises to 8.5 hours per day. Screen time in adolescents rose by 52% on average during the pandemic.
Impact of screentime on family life
The transition from parents urging children to “turn off the TV” to the current landscape where one is unable to turn off the internet even if one wanted to, highlights the rapid evolution of technology and its impact on family life.
Books and paper have been replaced by tablets and smartphones, and even a temporary reduction in internet speed has become reason enough for nervous breakdowns and meltdowns in adults and children alike.
This malady of being stuck between ‘needing to be online’ and ‘being barraged by notifications’ has become a predicament for most of us. This experience, unique to the digital age, has become a challenge that pushes the boundaries of human resilience and is also one that we are not adequately equipped to face.
Paying the full price of this challenge are our children, with their inherent vulnerabilities, made worse by decreased engagement from parents (who are themselves grappling to find a balance in their lives) and screens gnawing away at their playtime. A growing body of evidence has given us enough reason for concern, highlighting the negative impact of excessive screen usage on physical as well as mental health.
The importance of play
Play has long been recognised as a core component of childhood, and indispensable for well-balanced physical and cognitive development. Playing with kitchen utensils and cardboard boxes might seem like a simple activity, but for children, it offers a wealth of joy and opportunities for interaction. It fosters creativity, social skills, problem-solving abilities, and emotional regulation. However, the allure of entertainment-based content has led to a significant decline in traditional play.
The associations between excessive screentime and internalising (e.g., depression and anxiety), externalising (e.g., aggression), suicidal behaviour and sleep problems, and mental health and behavioral issues are well-established. Theoretical perspectives from psychology have suggested that the effects of screentime may depend on the nature of the media content. For instance, chronic exposure to violent, suicidal-/self-injury-related, and substance-using content in videogames, on TV/DVDs, and/or on the internet has been proposed to increase the risk of antisocial behaviour (e.g., aggression, delinquency), suicidality/self-injury, and substance use, respectively.
Exposure to violent content can lead to desensitisation among individuals towards both real-life violence and media violence. This, in turn, may increase the probability of aggression due to repeated exposure to violent media and lead to the establishment of stable patterns of aggressive behaviour; reduction in the efficiency of the cognitive control system, as well as an inclination towards seeking short-term rewards, and increased cannabis use and other drug use, which in turn fuels the cycle.
Parental use of mobile devices has been shown to considerably reduce parental interactions with young children. Thus, it appears that parental engagement with both television and interactive media, such as smartphones, may reduce the quantity and quality of parent-child interactions, which are crucial for the development of cognitive skills, especially language and executive function.
For children less than two years of age, associations with aspects of cognitive development are negative, especially for language and executive function
What happens in adolescence?
Adolescence has been described as a time of increased arousal and vulnerability in emotional and behavioural regulation, which may pose a challenge to managing the escalating demands of specific media screens. Digital media has become an important place to fulfill the core tasks of adolescence including forming identities and forming/redefining relationships with peers (including romantic relationships) for modern adolescents.
The findings that were leaked from internal research done by Facebook have given us concrete reasons to worry about our teenagers: 32% of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.
Pressure to share only the best moments and to look perfect could pitch teenagers into depression, low self-esteem and eating disorders.
Social media content (e.g., idealised body images) may drive young people to make upward social comparisons, likely associated with negative self-evaluation or emotional distress.
However, these findings have been hastily buried with Instagram soon rolling out teen accounts, which purportedly will have in-built automatic protection. The real-world impact of these strategies is yet to unfold.
The positive impacts
Despite this article’s warnings and critical tone, presenting only negativity would greatly disadvantage readers, and we shall now delve into the positive impact of internet and screen usage. There is little question that educational content (on any kind of screen) has a positive impact on cognitive development. These media are enriching, allowing children to vicariously experience and witness places and events far beyond their normal experiences, and provide opportunities for socialisation beyond geographical boundaries.
There is reason to be hopeful as evidence has shown: children and adolescents who reported that they agreed that their parents had rules about time spent watching television and playing video games were less likely to exceed recommended limits than those who strongly disagreed that their parents had rules.
Similarly, when parents reported always or very often having limits on television watching (versus rarely or never) and when parents correctly identified the recommended limits, children were less likely to exceed recommended limits.
Navigating digital age realities
Key strategies to protect our children from the negative impact of screen usage include:
Role-modelling by parents: Being mindful of their own screen usage and being present, physically and emotionally, during conversations with their wards.
Limit-setting: Establishing clear and consistent limits on screen time is crucial.
Promoting healthy screen habits: Teaching children about online safety and responsible social media use is essential.
Encouraging alternative activities: Promoting physical activity, outdoor play, and creative hobbies can help reduce reliance on screens. Encouraging face-to-face interactions and social activities can foster social skills and reduce isolation.
Parental involvement: Co-viewing of media is better than a complete lack of parental oversight. Open communication, validation and support are crucial to encourage help-seeking behaviours.
(Dr. Maria Antony is a specialist in child and adolescent mental health.)
Published – May 21, 2025 03:00 pm IST