Maharashtra Sets Up Task Force On Child Digital Addiction

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has announced the formation of an expert task force to study the rising prevalence of digital addiction among children. State IT Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar on Wednesday informed the Legislative Council that the committee will submit a comprehensive report with remedial recommendations before the next session, which is likely to be held in June.

The announcement followed a calling attention motion raised by MLCs Niranjan Davkhare and Sanjay Kenekar, who highlighted the mental and physical health risks posed by unregulated screen time and social media usage.

The task force will consist of psychiatrists, educationists, child counselors, technology experts, and legal professionals. A separate committee featuring members from both Houses of the Legislature will also be formed to deliberate on the findings, minister Shelar said.

The minister noted that with approximately 4 crore children under the age of 18 in the state—3 crore of whom are under 15—their digital well-being is a priority. Written instructions were issued on February 2 to the Principal Secretary of the IT Department, Virendra Singh, to constitute this body to examine the matter.

Citing a study by Responsible Netism, the Minister pointed to a significant rise in gaming disorder across both urban and rural Maharashtra. Key findings presented to the Council indicate that three out of every 10 clinical cases involving children in the state are now related to gaming addiction. Furthermore, Internet Dependency Scale assessments suggest nearly 40 per cent of school children exhibit moderate to severe addiction symptoms. Reported health impacts include phantom vibration syndrome, tech-neck, disrupted sleep cycles, and increased anxiety.

While acknowledging that primary legislative authority over the internet rests with the Central Government, the Minister outlined several measures currently under state consideration. These include mandatory e-KYC age verification for gaming platforms, the establishment of an Indian-based gaming rating authority, and mandatory time-out features for minors. In the educational sector, the state is looking into introducing Digital Hygiene into the SCERT curriculum and observing Screen-Free Saturdays in government schools.

On the healthcare front, the government plans to establish Cyber Wellness Centres at district-level government hospitals and recognize gaming disorder as a mental health priority. The Minister clarified that any recommendations requiring legal amendments to existing laws will be formally submitted to the Union Government for further action.