India’s conversations around children and digital safety have intensified in recent months — from discussions about a proposed social media ban for users under 16 to the Economic Survey 2025–26, highlighting rising concerns around digital overuse and behavioural dependence.
Public debate has also turned sensitive following the tragic Ghaziabad case, where three sisters died by suicide, reportedly after their phones were taken away, a matter that remains under investigation.
Together, these developments raise urgent questions for parents: What is “screen addiction” in children, really? Is it about hours — or behaviour? Why do some kids melt down when screens are removed? And what can families realistically do without turning home into a battleground?
Psychologist Lavina Nanda, head of developmental services at child and adolescent mental health organisation Children First, shares practical insights from her work with families in India — especially those raising very young children.
Excessive screen use can disrupt sleep, weaken attention spans, and make emotional regulation harder for growing children. Photograph: (Business Today)
From a clinical perspective, how do you define “screen addiction” in children, and how is it different from normal heavy use?
Lavina Nanda: “Because I work with very young children, I don’t look at ‘screen addiction’ in the same way we look at substance addiction in adults. Children are not the primary stakeholders or decision-makers about when or how they use screens. They exist within a larger system where adults hold power and authority.”
“I feel addiction is often viewed in a very linear way, as if children are choosing screens like a substance. But children are part of an ecosystem that includes parents, design features, routines, and access.”
She looks beyond “hours” and focuses on “functioning”:
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Is the child able to regulate emotions without screens?
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Is physical play being replaced by passive viewing?
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Is sleep or appetite disrupted?
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Are language skills, social relationships, or school engagement affected?
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Do intense meltdowns occur when screens are removed?
“The red flag for me is not the number of hours, it’s when a child cannot stop, cannot regulate, and daily functioning starts to change. A child’s primary job is to play. If they are not moving, exploring, or engaging socially, that becomes concerning.”
What parents should take from this
Many families panic because they are counting hours. But in clinical settings, what matters more is impact on functioning — sleep, play, appetite, learning, relationships, and emotional regulation.
If screens have become the only way your child can:
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eat
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calm down
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fall asleep
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stay occupied
…then it’s a sign that screens have shifted from entertainment to emotional coping.
Do you think kids sometimes depend on screens as a way to cope with difficult emotions like boredom?
Lavina Nanda: “I would say both yes and no. Screens are highly stimulating and intentionally designed to keep you engaged; even adults struggle to put them down. If something is created to be addictive, how is a developing brain expected to resist it easily?”
She reframes the boredom argument:
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Children may not yet understand the creative value of boredom
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Reward-based content competes with slower real-world activities
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Responsibility cannot be placed solely on the child
“Instead of asking why children can’t tolerate boredom, I ask, do they even know what they gain from being bored? When something highly rewarding is available instantly, why would they choose the slower option?”
What parents should take from this
Many parents assume their child is “lazy” or “undisciplined” because they can’t sit with boredom. But boredom tolerance is a developmental skill — and it takes time to build.
When screens offer instant dopamine rewards, slower activities like puzzles, drawing, building blocks, or even outdoor play can feel “too hard” or “too slow” for a child who is used to constant stimulation.
The shift isn’t to remove boredom.
The shift is to help children learn what to do when boredom shows up.
How does screen addiction affect brain development, attention span, and emotional regulation in children?
Lavina Nanda:“Development happens through movement, exploration, and real-world problem-solving. Screens, however immersive, give limited experiences compared to physical engagement.”
She observes that excess screen use impacts:
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Motor planning and physical development
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Emotional regulation
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Social perception and relationships
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Attention span
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Language development in early childhood
“When a child spends large parts of their waking hours on a 2D platform, they miss opportunities to build neural connections through their body.”
“Screens are a big part of our world today, we don’t have to make them the villain. I suggest as little passive screen time as possible, and whatever that little is, make it engaging. Co-watch, discuss what you see, and keep it interactive rather than a filler activity.”
What parents should take from this
In early childhood, development isn’t built through information — it’s built through experience.
That means:
Passive screen time replaces these experiences.
The key phrase here is passive. Lavina is not calling screens evil — she’s saying children need far more movement and interaction than screens can provide.
If screens are used, parents can reduce harm by:
Are you seeing more children with screen-related behavioural or mental health issues in your practice today compared to a few years ago? What patterns stand out?
Lavina Nanda: “Yes, there is definitely a rise. I am seeing younger children being exposed to screens much earlier, specially post Covid-19.”
“Smartphones use is highly intuitive for which you don’t need literacy or advanced motor skills. Even a one-year-old can swipe and open content. That early adoption is a major shift from earlier years.”
Patterns she notices include:
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Toddlers and preschoolers with heavy screen dependency
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Screen use escalating from short durations to several hours
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Families reporting TV running throughout the day
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Children struggling to tolerate devices being turned off
What parents should take from this
This is not just about “bad parenting.” The entire environment has changed.
The pandemic accelerated:
Many parents started screens as survival tools — and then never got a clear exit plan.
If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone.
How can parents distinguish between healthy digital engagement and problematic dependence?
Lavina Nanda: “My answer begins with the parent-child connection. You can follow any guideline, but if your emotional connect is breaking down, any boundaries will be hard to maintain.”
She encourages parents to ask:
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Do I know what my child is watching?
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Can we discuss content openly without punishment?
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Can my child ask for guidance rather than hiding usage?
“Boundaries are not blanket rules, they are co-created through connection.”
“Children don’t learn from what you teach them. They learn from how you live your life. If parents are constantly on their phones, children will model that behaviour.”
What parents should take from this
This is the part many parents miss.
Screen rules don’t work in isolation. They work when the relationship is strong enough to hold frustration, disappointment, and repair.
If your child is hiding screen use, lying, or becoming aggressive, it may not only be about the device — it may be about:
How do you respond to defensive posturing by parents saying that they use the phone for work and kids use it for leisure, so they can’t be held to the same standards?
Lavina Nanda: “Yes, work use is valid, and children can understand the difference between work and leisure. But boundaries still need to exist for everyone.”
Her suggestions include:
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Shared device-free times at home
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Transparency about what adults are doing on screens
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Modelling alternative ways of decompressing
“A child needs to see what you do in your free time, apart from watching TV or scrolling. If a parent decompresses only with a phone, children will also reach for a phone after school.”
What parents should take from this
Children understand work. What they don’t understand is hypocrisy.
If the rule is “no screens at dinner,” but the parent is checking WhatsApp, the child learns:
You don’t have to be perfect. But you do have to be consistent.
How should parents respond when children show withdrawal-like symptoms when screens are taken away?
Lavina Nanda: “Understand that the child is not trying to be difficult, they are unequipped to regulate in that moment. Their coping tool is being taken away, which feels threatening.”
Her approach:
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Regulate yourself first
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Prioritise connection before correction
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Understand what role the screen plays for the child
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Introduce alternative routines gradually
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Set clear, calm, consistent boundaries
“I believe in connection first and direction later. Walk into this with calmness and confidence. The first week or two will be hard, children may cry or push back, but consistency is key.”
She adds that persistent difficulties may require professional support to address deeper issues such as anxiety or sleep disruption.
What parents should take from this
This is one of the most important reframes for families.
A meltdown is not always manipulation. Sometimes it’s a child’s nervous system panicking because their coping tool is being removed.
The parents’ job is to:
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stay calm
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stay consistent
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stay connected
And slowly build new coping skills over time.
Do you believe age-based social media bans would address the root psychological issues, or only the symptoms?
Lavina Nanda: “Young people are bright, they will often find ways around restrictions. Bans alone rarely address underlying issues.”
She emphasises:
“If there is one thing I strongly support, it is reducing screen dependence in primary and middle-school education. Learning should be experiential, speaking to family members, visiting libraries, and engaging with the real-world.”
She adds, “It is unrealistic to demand perfect self-control from young people when digital systems are built to keep them hooked. Meaningful protections by platforms could include curbing late-night notifications and placing stricter access controls on highly stimulating content like certain games.”
What parents should take from this
Even if bans are introduced, children will still need:
This is not a “child willpower” problem. It is a design and ecosystem problem.
Can you share an anecdotal example of kids suffering from serious screen addiction, and what interventions work?
Lavina Nanda: “I often see younger children who start eating only in front of screens. Over time, screens become central to all routines.”
Interventions typically include:
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Working with parents on their own screen habits
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Establishing clear family routines
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Creating screen-free environments
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Strengthening parent-child relationships
She also notes risks in gaming environments, including unsafe online interactions.
“Children need education about what is happening in their brain with excess screen use, how dopamine works and how platforms manipulate attention. When children understand this, they feel empowered to make different choices.”
What parents should take from this
A child who only eats with screens isn’t “spoiled.” They’ve learned to associate screens with regulation.
Recovery means:
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rebuilding routines
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rebuilding family rhythm
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rebuilding connection
Do you think digital detox, like taking away the phone and giving kids a keypad phone, works?
Lavina Nanda:
“It may help to some extent, but it cannot be the only solution. If the rest of the ecosystem, family habits and environment remain unchanged, behaviour will not shift significantly.”
What parents should take from this
A detox can reduce access — but it cannot teach skills.
Without:
…the behaviour will return in another form.
Are some kids more prone to screen addiction?
Lavina Nanda: “In my experience, children with neurodivergence or developmental differences may be more vulnerable because screens can become highly preferred activities.”
She gave a hypothetical example of a child facing developmental delays who avoided activities like cycling or outdoor play because they felt overwhelming.
In contrast, screens offered immediate success and comfort, making them more appealing than physical tasks that a neurotypical child might engage with more easily.
What parents should take from this
For some children, screens are not just “fun.” They are a space where:
That means interventions must be gentler, slower, and more supportive — often involving professional guidance.
What does recovery from screen addiction realistically look like?
Lavina Nanda: “Its hard to give fixed timelines about recovery. It depends on a child’s age, family participation, underlying emotional factors, and what we are actually calling ‘addiction’.”
Recovery involves family-level change and relationship work Photograph: (Pixabay)
Lavina emphasises:
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Screen overuse is often a symptom, not the root cause
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Recovery involves family-level change and relationship work
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Progress typically requires several months of consistent effort, expecting quick fixes is unrealistic.
What parents should take from this
The most realistic expectation is:
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first 1–2 weeks: hardest
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1–2 months: routines stabilise
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3–6 months: deeper behavioural change becomes visible
Progress is not linear. But it is possible.
The bottom line
Across her responses, Lavina Nanda returns to one central idea: screen dependence is rarely a standalone problem.
It often reflects unmet emotional needs, inconsistent routines, or strained parent-child relationships.
But families are not powerless. With steady connection, clear boundaries, and realistic routines, parents can help children build a healthier relationship with screens — without fear, blame, or shame.
