Published Apr 06, 2026 | 7:15 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 06, 2026 | 7:15 AM
Woman scrolling through phone. (iStock)
Synopsis: A new study about children’s screen use found Indian parents struggle to maintain control over their children’s growing dependence on screens. The findings suggest that while digital devices are deeply integrated into daily life, many parents feel ill-equipped to manage their children’s technology use.
When three sisters in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, died earlier this year after a dispute over mobile phone use, it highlighted a larger, often overlooked issue: Many Indian parents struggle to maintain control over their children’s growing dependence on screens.
A new study led by researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), examining parental concerns about children’s screen use, reflects this growing anxiety.
“These incidents are not isolated. The challenge of monitoring screen time is leaving many parents frustrated and anxious,” Dr Rajesh Kumar, co-author of the study and Assistant Professor at NIMHANS, told South First.
The proof copy of the study — accepted for publication in the forthcoming issue of the Industrial Psychiatry Journal — was shared with South First by one of its authors.
The findings suggest that while digital devices are deeply integrated into daily life, many parents feel ill-equipped to manage their children’s technology use.
The study surveyed 424 parents to understand how they perceive their children’s screen habits and the challenges they face in regulating them. Researchers analysed responses using both quantitative data and open-ended answers to capture parents’ experiences in their own words.
One striking finding was how common excessive screen time has become. “66.4 percent of children under five and 57.86 percent of those above five years exceeded recommended screen-time limits,” the researchers recorded.
Children who used multiple digital devices tended to spend more time online. In high-use groups, the average daily screen time reached 3.78 hours among children under five and 4.69 hours among older children, far above what most guidelines suggest.
The researchers also found that parents themselves reported high screen use. “In one group, adults spent an average of 5.47 hours per day on screens, suggesting that family technology habits may shape children’s behaviour as well,” it noted.
When parents were asked about their biggest worries, the most common theme was a sense of losing control over their children’s screen habits.
About 45 percent of parents reported this concern, making it the most frequently mentioned issue in the study. Other worries included difficulties in encouraging responsible use, the effects of excessive gaming or social media use, and broader health or behavioural impacts.
“Many parents told us they started with half an hour or 45 minutes, but over time it extended beyond their control,” said Dr Rajesh Kumar
Parents also reported behavioural changes when devices were taken away, including irritability, temper tantrums and sleep disturbances.
Some families also noticed physical health concerns. Reduced outdoor activity and distracted eating habits were frequently mentioned in responses, and a few parents linked prolonged screen use to weight gain or disrupted sleep cycles.
Despite concerns about excessive use, the researchers caution against solutions such as banning digital devices altogether.
“To some extent, restrictions may help, but I am not advocating a full ban,” Dr Kumar said. Online learning, digital assignments and educational resources have become a normal part of schooling in many places, he noted.
Parents also face practical realities that make screens difficult to avoid. Many urban families live in nuclear households where both parents work, leaving limited opportunities for constant supervision or offline activities.
“In such settings, digital devices sometimes become a convenient way to keep children engaged while parents manage work and household responsibilities,” he added.
Instead of sudden restrictions, experts suggest gradual and structured approaches to reducing excessive screen time. Dr Kumar said that abruptly taking away devices from children who are already dependent on them can sometimes trigger withdrawal-like reactions, including irritability or aggression.
Gradual reduction, combined with clear routines and supervision, tends to work better.
Another key insight from the study is that parents are not just worried — they are actively seeking guidance on how to manage the problem.
More than 55 percent of parents said they wanted practical strategies to handle children’s screen use. Preventive guidance, communication skills and cyber literacy were also mentioned but less frequently.
Saradha Subramanian, a PhD researcher at NIMHANS and co-author of the study, said the team chose open-ended questions precisely to understand these concerns from the parents’ perspective.
“One advantage of open-ended questions was that we were able to gather parents’ perspectives on screen use,” she told South First. While many structured surveys focus on clinical symptoms of addiction, she explained, the research team wanted to capture everyday experiences and consequences observed by families.
The responses revealed that many parents were already encountering addiction-like patterns in their children’s screen behaviour.
According to Subramanian, the findings have prompted the research team to conduct parent training sessions aimed at helping families handle problematic screen use. These sessions include guidance on cyber literacy, communication skills and conflict resolution strategies.
“Practical and proactive approaches were something parents needed the most,” she said.
The study highlights a tension familiar to many modern families: Digital technology offers both opportunity and risk.
Online tools can help children learn, communicate and access information easily. At the same time, the constant availability of screens makes it harder for parents to maintain boundaries.
For researchers, the challenge now is to better understand why some children develop problematic screen habits while others do not.
As Dr Kumar points out, factors such as impulsivity, parental supervision and the reasons children use digital platforms may all influence how technology affects them.
Understanding these patterns, he says, will be crucial for designing effective interventions that help families navigate the digital world more safely.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
