As final school exams approach, parents face a familiar anxiety. It is no longer limited to academic performance but extends to their children’s digital dependence. The latest Economic Survey articulated that anxiety. Then came Ghaziabad. Three sisters, aged 16, 14 and 12, died by suicide after being denied access to a ‘Korean love game’ in which they had become deeply immersed.
Himachal Pradesh was the first one to respond, announcing a ban on mobile phones in its schools from March 1. Other states are watching. Some, however, face a policy contradiction. In earlier election cycles, they had promised and distributed free mobile phones and tablets to students in the name of empowerment and bridging the digital divide.
That push to digitally equip the nation now appears to have come full circle. The Economic Survey notes that the digital economy contributed 11.74 per cent of national income in FY23 and is projected to reach 13.42 per cent by FY25. Internet users rose from 25 crore in 2014 to nearly 97 crore in 2024. More than 85 per cent of households own a smartphone. Around 40 crore Indians consume OTT content or order food online, while about 35 crore use social media. The Census 2027 will map this change with much more accurate numbers.
The same survey also documents the human cost of deep digital penetration. Compulsive social media use and gaming are linked to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, cyberbullying stress, sleep disruption and declining academic performance. Physical health indicators move in parallel. About one-quarter of Indian adults are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity is rising.
Public conversation around children’s digital overuse is shaped by another reality: technology is now inseparable from employment and monetisation. The disruptive spread of artificial intelligence makes withdrawal unrealistic, even as concerns grow about behavioural harm.
Policies that once encouraged rapid digital adoption may now require recalibration. Online learning expanded dramatically during the pandemic through smartphones and apps, BUT the Economic Survey now suggests caution.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s decision to raise the securities transaction tax on futures and options was described as a nudge against excessive participation, partly following concerns from parents about youngsters making losses.
Against this backdrop, the Union Budget’s proposal to establish 15,000 laboratories in secondary schools and 5,000 at the college level to prepare students for the “orange economy” marks the next phase of digital expansion. The creative digital industries, such as animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and influencer-driven platforms, are presented as engines of growth and employment.
The economic logic is clear, as these sectors are expanding rapidly and generating income. Yet the same engagement-driven ecosystem is also associated with compulsive use and behavioural risk among younger users, especially school children.
Celebrating digital creativity while confronting digital dependence requires clearer safeguards, especially when education systems begin promoting participation at the school level. Public investment in school laboratories may be followed by private partnerships, including with gaming and content industries, making exposure more widespread.
Several countries, including Australia, China and South Korea, have experimented with regulating children’s phone or social media use, with mixed outcomes. Their experience suggests that unmanaged expansion eventually forces corrective policy.
India’s political discourse often embraces new technological aspirations quickly and addresses social consequences later. Digital expansion may follow a similar pattern if safeguards lag behind adoption.
The rise of the orange economy is likely to continue. Creative industries generate income and opportunity. But their integration into school education, as pushed by various panels including the one announced some budgets ago, raises a policy question: whether systems designed to maximise engagement should shape childhood without a clearly defined framework for safe use. More debate and conversations are needed at the level of educators, behavioural experts and childhood experts to develop effective guardrails.
The challenge is not to resist digital growth, but to align it with education and long-term wellbeing, where it does not lead to addiction.