A sobering alarm about the increasing issue of digital addiction in India, especially among children and adolescents has been raised by the Economic Survey 2025-26, which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
The trend identified in the report is alarming and warns that overuse of smartphones and social media, as well as gaming and other internet-based tools, is starting to have a considerable influence on mental health, learning performance, and even the economic productivity in the long-term.
The survey is written by the Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran, and it mentions that younger users are particularly at risk of compulsive digital behaviour and exposure to harmful content. It indicates that policymakers might have to bear age restrictions to access in order to safeguard children and teenagers against the dangers of uncontrolled digital use.
The survey describes digital addiction as a compulsive and continuous course of using digital devices, which causes psychological anxiety and disrupts everyday operations. The report has indicated that the effects are already felt in terms of lack of concentration, lack of sleep, anxiety, and deteriorating academic or work performance.
Such behaviour is also observed to destroy social capital over time by decreasing real-life interaction, limiting community engagement, and destroying offline social skills.
In addition to individual and social effects, the Economic Survey indicates important economic expenses. They are direct monetary losses incurred due to impulsive purchases via the internet, gaming expenses, and fraud over the internet.
The indirect costs can be even more destructive, as the forced digital use is associated with less employability, low productivity, and reduced lifetime income. The report also recommends that, unchecked, the digital addiction will impact the human capital development curve within the country as well as its economic growth curve.
The mental health issues comprise a significant portion of the survey results. Screen time is strongly correlated with anxiety, stress, depression and sleeping problems. It seems that students under academic stress and people exposed to cyberbullying or high-stimulation Internet websites are especially vulnerable.
Another trend mentioned in the survey as a warning is the growth of social media addiction, which, according to the survey, is strongly correlated with low self-esteem, stress associated with cyberbullying, and, at worst, an increased risk of suicide.
Research in India and in other countries indicates that the problems are particularly common among youths between the ages of 15 and 24.
Meanwhile, the digital interaction is rapidly growing. In India, almost half of the total internet users in 2024 watched videos online, and 43 percent used social media. Half of them made digital payments, one-fourth of them used email or streamed music.
This, in absolute terms, means about 40 crore users on online video and food delivery websites and nearly 35 crore social media users. According to the survey, the young Indians are increasingly becoming intensely digitalized with the penetration of internet access almost universal among the 15-29 age bracket.
Although the survey acknowledges that access to education, jobs, and civic roles have been opened up due to digital access, it holds that access is no longer the focal point. As an alternative, the policy emphasis should be changed to behavioural health risks, content quality, digital hygiene, and wellbeing.
In response to the problem, the Economic Survey suggests a list of systematic measures. These are cyber-safety lessons at schools, peer mentor programmes and compulsory physical activities to counterbalance screen time.
It also requires parental training to enable families to cope with the use of devices by children and the establishment of age-related policies of digital access. According to the report, online platforms need to be more accountable for the existence of harmful or addictive content.
The families can be advised to implement some practical steps like the introduction of screen-time restrictions, device-free areas in the homes, and the encouragement of offline activities. The survey highlights that the issue of digital addiction is a shared responsibility between parents and schools, communities, technology companies and policymakers.
The report also learns the lessons of the international experience. Some of the most draconian youth protection laws have been enacted in Australia, such as the suggestion of limiting access to social media among younger children.
South Korea had previously a Shutdown Law restricting late-night gaming by minors and is now more dependent on systems of parental control. China adopts real-name registration and a limit on play time to regulate gaming among underage people, whereas Singapore has fostered cyber wellness via media literacy campaigns organized by community members.
Some countries have also adopted bans on smartphone use in classrooms, such as France, Spain, Finland, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea, and some regions in the United States, because of distraction and student wellbeing.
In the case of India, further measures that the survey recommends include the establishment of offline youth centers, popularizing voluntary digital diets, and providing children with education-oriented computers. It also suggests the increase in access to mental health assistance by the means of government programs like the Tele-MANAS helpline.
Also Read: TikTok Influencer Alina Amir’s Viral MMS Deepfake Explained as She Breaks Her Silence
Combined, the Economic Survey posits that such action is necessary to achieve that the digital advancement in India is not at the cost of the mental well-being, social growth, and future productivity of the Indian youth.
