Teen ends life after being denied mobile phone

Hubballi: A teenager allegedly died by suicide as parents refused to give him their smartphone, on Friday.Deceased is identified as Samarth Phadke, 14, a resident of Uday Nagar in Hubballi. Family members said that Samarth was fondly called DJ and used to play some in-built games on a smartphone. "He erased all data of the smartphone belonging to his mother. As parents advised him to remain away from mobile phone and to focus on studies, he went to his room and ended his life. Meanwhile, his parents were visiting Harsha Complex in the city to get the smartphone repaired," they added.They also said that Samarth had passed Class 8 and joined Class 9.Police commissioner N Shashikumar visited the spot and took stock of the situation. Speaking to media, he advised parents to be cautious about mobile addiction among their children. "When parents find out that their child is addicted to mobile phone usage, they should not grab the smartphone from them. Instead, they should counsel children through experts or teachers. They can also advise children to use smartphone for constructive works like learning Mathematics, grammar etc," he added.If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in need of emotional support, call suicide-prevention helplines — Arogya Vani: 104, Sahay Helpline: 080-25497777