In the chambers of Maharashtra's Legislative Council, a quiet crisis has been given official form: the state government has convened an expert task force to reckon with the rising tide of digital addiction among its youngest citizens. With nearly 40 percent of school children showing measurable signs of dependency and gaming disorder now a leading reason children enter clinical care, the move acknowledges that the relationship between childhood and the screen has shifted in ways that demand more than parental concern. The task force — drawing psychiatrists, educators, technologists, and legal
Maharashtra Forms Expert Task Force to Combat Child Digital Addiction
Approximately 40% of school children in Maharashtra exhibit moderate to severe digital addiction symptoms with reported health impacts including sleep disruption and increased anxiety.
Three out of every ten clinical cases involving children now relate to gaming addiction
Mark
So the government is saying 40 percent of school children have moderate to severe addiction symptoms. That's a huge number. How confident are we in that figure?
Luke
The minister cited the Internet Dependency Scale assessment, but we don't know the sample size, when it was conducted, or which schools were included. It's a real finding, but it's one measurement tool applied to an unknown population. That's worth noting.
Mimi
True, but the gaming disorder data is harder to dismiss—three out of ten clinical cases involving children. That's coming from actual clinical practice, not a survey.
Luke
Right, but that's a different metric. Clinical cases are children who've already sought help. It tells us something about the severity of cases that reach hospitals, not the prevalence across all children.
Mark
So what's actually new here? The government is forming a task force. Is that a real commitment or a way to defer action?
Mimi
They've already issued written instructions to set up the committee and they're considering specific measures—age verification systems, time-out features, curriculum changes. That's more concrete than just studying the problem.
Luke
But those measures require either state action or central government approval. The minister was careful to note that internet regulation is a central matter. So the state can recommend, but implementation depends on Delhi.
Mark
What about the Cyber Wellness Centres? That sounds like something the state can actually do.
Mimi
Yes, those are district-level hospital facilities. That's within state control. But we don't know the budget, staffing, or timeline yet.
Luke
And we don't know if they'll actually be built or if this is aspirational language in a policy announcement.
Mark
So the real test is June, when the report comes out?
Mimi
June is when we see what the task force recommends. But the real test is what happens after—whether the government actually funds and implements these things.
The Pulse
- Four in ten Maharashtra school children now register moderate to severe digital addiction symptoms, and gaming disorder has become the presenting concern in nearly a third of all child clinical cases — numbers that have moved this issue from household worry to public health emergency.
- Children across the state are reporting phantom vibration syndrome, chronic neck strain, fractured sleep, and rising anxiety — physical and psychological costs accumulating quietly in classrooms and bedrooms alike.
- The state is weighing a suite of interventions: mandatory e-KYC age verification for gaming platforms, an Indian gaming rating authority, forced time-out features for minors, and Screen-Free Saturdays in government schools.
- Cyber Wellness Centres are planned for district hospitals, and digital hygiene is being considered for formal integration into the state school curriculum through SCERT.
- Because internet regulation ultimately rests with the central government, Maharashtra has signaled it will escalate recommendations requiring legal change to the Union Government — widening the potential reach of whatever the task force concludes.
In the chambers of Maharashtra's Legislative Council, a quiet crisis has been given official form: the state government has convened an expert task force to reckon with the rising tide of digital addiction among its youngest citizens. With nearly 40 percent of school children showing measurable signs of dependency and gaming disorder now a leading reason children enter clinical care, the move acknowledges that the relationship between childhood and the screen has shifted in ways that demand more than parental concern. The task force — drawing psychiatrists, educators, technologists, and legal minds — is expected to deliver its findings before June, with the state already contemplating new infrastructure, curriculum reform, and regulatory measures that may ultimately require the attention of the national government.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra's IT Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar announced the formation of an expert task force to address digital addiction among children, responding to a calling attention motion raised by two MLCs who pressed the government on the mental and physical toll of unregulated screen time. The task force is expected to deliver its report before the legislature's next session in June.
The scale of the problem is difficult to dismiss. Of Maharashtra's roughly 40 million children under 18, nearly 40 percent of school-age children now show moderate to severe addiction symptoms on the Internet Dependency Scale. Gaming disorder alone accounts for three in ten clinical cases involving children — a figure documented across both urban and rural areas. The health consequences are tangible: phantom vibration syndrome, tech-neck, disrupted sleep, and heightened anxiety have all been reported among affected young people.
The task force will bring together psychiatrists, educationists, child counselors, technology specialists, and legal professionals. A parallel legislative committee will review the findings. The state is already exploring mandatory age verification through e-KYC systems, a domestic gaming rating authority, and forced time-out features for minors. Schools may see Digital Hygiene woven into the curriculum and Screen-Free Saturdays introduced in government institutions.
On the healthcare front, Cyber Wellness Centres are planned for district hospitals, and gaming disorder is to be formally recognized as a mental health priority warranting dedicated clinical resources. Where recommendations require changes to existing law, the state has committed to submitting them to the Union Government. Whether the June report translates into lasting implementation remains the open question.
In the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Wednesday, State IT Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar announced the formation of an expert task force to investigate the growing problem of digital addiction among children in the state. The move came after two MLCs—Niranjan Davkhare and Sanjay Kenekar—raised a calling attention motion, pressing the government to address the mental and physical toll of unregulated screen time and social media use on young people. The task force will deliver a comprehensive report with recommendations before the legislature's next session, expected in June.
The scale of the problem is substantial. Maharashtra is home to approximately 40 million children under 18, with 30 million of them younger than 15. According to research cited by the minister, nearly 40 percent of school children in the state now exhibit moderate to severe addiction symptoms when assessed using the Internet Dependency Scale. Gaming disorder has emerged as a particularly acute concern: three out of every ten clinical cases involving children now relate to gaming addiction, a significant rise documented across both urban and rural areas. The health consequences are concrete and varied—phantom vibration syndrome, tech-neck, disrupted sleep patterns, and heightened anxiety have all been reported among affected children.
The task force itself will draw expertise from multiple disciplines. Psychiatrists, educationists, child counselors, technology specialists, and legal professionals will sit on the committee, bringing different perspectives to bear on the problem. A second committee, composed of members from both houses of the legislature, will be formed to review the task force's findings and deliberate on next steps. The minister's office issued written instructions on February 2 to the Principal Secretary of the IT Department, Virendra Singh, to establish the body and begin its work.
While acknowledging that primary authority over internet regulation rests with the central government, Maharashtra is already considering several interventions within its own jurisdiction. The state is exploring mandatory age verification through e-KYC systems for gaming platforms, a move designed to prevent younger children from accessing age-inappropriate content. Officials are also examining the creation of an Indian-based gaming rating authority and the implementation of mandatory time-out features that would force minors offline after extended periods of use. In schools, the government is considering integrating Digital Hygiene into the state curriculum through SCERT and establishing Screen-Free Saturdays in government institutions.
On the healthcare side, the state plans to establish Cyber Wellness Centres at district-level government hospitals, creating dedicated spaces where children and families can seek support for digital addiction issues. Gaming disorder itself will be formally recognized as a mental health priority, shifting it from a peripheral concern to a condition warranting clinical attention and resources. The minister made clear that any recommendations requiring changes to existing laws will be formally submitted to the Union Government for consideration and action at the national level.
The task force's work represents an acknowledgment that digital addiction among children is no longer a fringe issue in Maharashtra but a public health matter affecting millions of young people. The state's willingness to convene expertise, establish new infrastructure, and potentially reshape curriculum and healthcare protocols suggests the government views this as urgent. What remains to be seen is whether the recommendations delivered in June will translate into sustained implementation and whether the measures prove effective in reducing the prevalence of addiction symptoms among the state's school-age population.
Notable Quotes
With approximately 4 crore children under the age of 18 in the state—3 crore of whom are under 15—their digital well-being is a priority— State IT Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar
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