Digital addiction a major health worry, curb kids' access: Survey

New Delhi: Online platfo-rms must be held accountable for enforcing age verification, while children should be nudged towards simpler, education-focused devices to curb rising digital addiction, Economic Survey has suggested.

Alongside digital addiction, the survey flagged ultra-processed foods (UPF) as a parallel lifestyle threat, calli-ng for stricter controls on UPF marketing to children - including a possible 6am-11pm advertising ban across media. It backed warning labels over star ratings and explored higher taxes on foods high in sugar, salt and fat.




Flagging digital addiction as a growing public health concern, the survey said unchecked screen use was beginning to hurt mental health, academic performance, workplace productivity and social behaviour. With digital access now nearly universal, the cha-llenge, it noted, was no longer connectivity but safe use.

The survey recommended age-based access limits and said platforms must enforce age verification and age-appropriate defaults, particularly for social media, gambling and gaming apps, auto-play features and targeted advertising, where younger users are most vulnerable.

It pointed to steps taken by Australia, China and South Korea - including curbs on children's access to social media and gaming - and called for similar interventions in India.

Acknowledging that screens could not simply be switched off, the survey called for alternatives such as offline youth hubs, especially in urban slums and rural areas, moderated school-hosted online spaces and a digital wellness curriculum, along with peer mentoring and mandatory daily physical activity.

Families, it added, must promote screen-time limits, device-free hours and shared offline activities, backed by parental workshops to spot early signs of addiction.

To limit exposure to harmful content, the survey suggested simpler devices for children, strict usage limits, filters and ISP-led family data plans separating educational and recreational use.

Citing evidence, the survey noted strong links between social media addiction and anxiety, depression and cyberbullying among those aged 15-24, and flagged WHO's recognition of 'Gaming Disorder' as a mental health condition linked to sleep disruption, aggression and social withdrawal.