Patna: The Bihar government is drafting a new policy aimed at addressing rising screen time and growing addiction to social media and online gaming among children and adolescents, following concerns raised in the state assembly.
The issue was discussed on Monday after Samridh Verma, a Janata Dal (United) MLA from Sikta in West Champaran district, highlighted what he described as an alarming trend of children spending hours scrolling through social media platforms and watching online videos.
Verma urged the government to consider regulating screen time for specific age groups and called for coordinated action by the information technology, health and education departments. He said awareness campaigns were urgently needed to prevent long-term harm.
Responding in the assembly, Bihar’s IT minister, Shreyasi Singh, acknowledged that excessive screen time and online gaming posed serious challenges. She said the Union government had already issued certain guidelines, but emphasised that addressing the problem required a multi-departmental approach involving health experts, schools, parents and wider society.
The state government said it had sought expert guidance from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru. Once recommendations are received, departments will meet to frame a comprehensive policy. Deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary also confirmed that a new framework was being prepared.
Verma described the growing addiction to mobile phones and online gaming as an “invisible epidemic”, warning that constant scrolling and gaming were weakening children’s concentration and affecting their development.
He argued that short-form videos and gaming apps trigger dopamine release, making real life seem less engaging and reducing attention spans. While the government aims to introduce artificial intelligence education to millions of students, he said, safeguards were needed to protect them from the negative effects of digital overuse.
Among his suggestions were the inclusion of digital hygiene in school curricula, district-level counselling or addiction clinics for mobile and gaming dependence, and community-level awareness campaigns. He also proposed training women’s self-help group members under JEEViKA to spread awareness in villages.
Officials said the proposed policy would focus on balancing technological advancement with mental health safeguards, as Bihar seeks to respond to the social consequences of rapid digital adoption.
