Kolkata: The gadget-addiction is believed to have become a trigger for some deaths in the city and beyond with parents who are too eager to take it from children who have returned to physical classes last week or have spent too much time on them.
It has left many depressed young people and might push some to take their own lives, experts said.
Since Thursday, four young people in Bengal have died of suicide after the argument with their parents for cellphone use.
While many parents believe it is time to turn off the gadget now that the school has been opened, it can cause symptoms of severe withdrawal and need to be done gradually, suggested psychiatrists.
‘Troubled internet addiction’ or ‘screen addiction’ is no different from smoking addiction or alcohol, according to Psychiatrist Praveen Kumar.
Children and adolescents, which have so far used cellphones or laptops for academic purposes, cannot be expected to release it overnight.
It can lead to a strong and detrimental reaction that can even be fatal, Kumar said.
“Parents need to realize that the dependence of the gadget does not go away in a day.
Children must be weaned gradually.
Limiting time to use gadgets is a good way to start,” Kumar said.
This addiction is referred to as ‘digital heroin’ in the west.
A large number of kolkata teenagers are believed to be connected to the gadget and need help to go from them, said Hrishikesh Kumar, Head of the Neurology Department, the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata (ink).
“Good heroin and gadgets produce a series of chemical reactions.
In time, the frontal lobe is accustomed to stimulation and starts demanding it more often.
The habit then starts to be translated into addiction.
Gadget-dependence, such as substance addiction, can change the neuro-chemical balance sheet from the frontal lobe And make you a different person, “he said.
“Parents themselves are fixated on cellphones most of the time.
However, they expect their children to keep them away or hand them overnight.
Parents must focus on reducing their own addiction, interacting with more children and creating an environment that will help children Young stay away from the gadget.
After saying that, it must be a practical step for all of us depending on the gadget, “said the JAM psychiatric consultant.