Rising digital addiction prompts call for age-based online access

Warning that excessive use of digital devices was becoming a serious problem of addiction for both children and adults, the Economic Survey has called for age-based access to online platforms in India, digital wellness curriculum at schools, and a host of other measures to cut down on national screen time. It also flagged the need to develop a comprehensive set of indicators to assess the multidimensional effects of digital addiction interventions.

“Platforms should be made responsible for enforcing age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling apps, auto-play features, and targeted advertising,” the survey said.