‘Gaming addiction can erase real identity’

BENGALURU: Following the tragic death of three minor sisters who jumped from their 9th floor apartment in Ghaziabad on February 4 and its link to Korean task based online gaming, Prof Manoj Sharma, Head of Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) from NIMHANS has warned that children can develop a very strong digital self, sometimes to the point that their offline identity gets wiped out.

Sharma explained, “Such cases often reflect more than just heavy screen use. Prolonged isolation and school withdrawal increases vulnerability among children. Thus forcing them to use gaming as a coping mechanism. Real-world conversations get replaced by digital environments.”