Study flags impact of Internet use on children

GS-II: Social Justice, Education, Health , Governance ; GS-III: Science and Technology

Why in News?

• A research project on the utilization of the internet by school-aged students which was funded through the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), suggests that there needs to be an increase in the encouragement of digital literacy for both students and parents with the help of schools.
• The most common health effects of Internet usage on children are anxiety, sleep problems, and changes in mood. This indicates that Internet use affects children both physically and mentally.
• Based on what was found in the study, it was suggested that there should be a “collaborative multistakeholder framework” created so that children can have digital empowerment during this period of emerging technology.
• The report generated from the study called “Empowering Children in the Digital Age: Analysis of Experiences and Vulnerabilities in the Context of Vision Viksit Bharat and Sustainable Development Goals” reported that:
  • Children who access the internet from their homes have 97.6% of them using a smart phone as their main way to get online.
  • Most of the children are spending 4.5 hours per day using the Internet.
  • They use the Internet first and foremost to study, then to play games on-line, watch videos, and converse with peers.
• The study which Ms. Khan carried out in 2025 involved interviewing more than 2,000 children between the ages of 9 and 14 who attend school in Delhi, as well as approximately 500 parents.

Key Findings of the Study

1. Benefits of Digital Platforms

• Children, schools and parents indicated that there were a number of positive effects of digital platforms on children, such as social media, that included providing children with access to information, skill development, building communities, collaborative learning, and creative expression.
• Children exhibit a level of confidence in their use of digital spaces and have shown that they possess either a great deal of technical knowledge, a great deal of functional knowledge, or both.
• However, what they lack are critical skills.

2. Living in a Bubble

• At home, adults think children are tech savvy and better than them.
• However, we are living in a bubble thinking they know it all.
• They do not have a grasp on the system of how to manipulate power and persuade people through algorithmic influences and exploitation.
• Most children (regardless of whether they were seen by others as having high levels of technology skill) stated that:
  • Feeling lonely when they did not use the Internet for long periods.
  • Experiencing anger when they did not find what they wanted online.
  • Many individuals struggle to stop using the Internet when they wish to, which can indicate that they have an addiction.

3. Online Safety and Vulnerabilities

• In the last half-year, approximately 47% of children said they talked to someone they didn’t know and many of those children have been playing games online with someone they don’t know, based on the findings from the research.
• In the age group of 12-13 years old, it was more likely that they would talk to strangers online, play video games with those strangers, and watch sexually explicit or other age-inappropriate content.
• A few reported experiencing cyberbullying and impersonation.
• Most of the children stated they would not report uncomfortable experiences to their parents or teachers.
• However, many of those people preferred to report these kinds of incidents to their parents.

4. Health Consequences

• Children’s most frequent reports of health-related problems include anxiety, sleeping problems, and changes in mood.
• Internet use impacts children emotionally and physically.
• Children were unable to quit using the Internet, and in some cases, even when they desired to do so, it was clear that they showed signs of addiction.

5. Gender-Based Differences in Internet Use

• The study reports that there are differences in how boys and girls use the internet. Generally, boys spend more time online than girls.
• Boys: Because boys have more social freedom than girls, they typically use the Internet with fewer restrictions. Therefore, boys are more exposed to negative online material and have a higher risk of being harmed while using the Internet.
• Girls: Restricted access to digital tools for girls may cause a different type of risk through limiting girls’ ability to acquire digital literacy skills and protect themselves.

Way Forward

• Digital Literacy: Schools need to take the lead in helping children and parents develop digital literacy skills.
• Collaborative Multi-stakeholder Framework: Empowering children digitally in an era of rapidly changing technology.
• Critical Skills: Despite the fact that many of today’s children have high-level technical/functional abilities, they are missing some of the essential critical thinking skills.
• Support from Parents: Encourage your children to inform you or their teacher about any uncomfortable experience they may have.
• School Support: Schools should provide support for digital literacy among both children and parents.
• Online Safety: Protect yourself against systemic manipulation of power and influence, algorithms that influence your choices, and people who exploit you.
• A Gender-Sensitive Approach: Look at the distinct internet safety concerns of boys and girls.

Conclusion

• Digital platforms provide an array of advantages, including but not limited to providing information, skill development, community building, collaborative learning, and creative expression.
• On the other hand, the dangers of anxiety, difficulty sleeping, altered moods, feelings of isolation, indicators of dependency on technology and potential harm from the internet provide evidence of how fragile children are.
• A multi-stakeholder collaborative model (supported by digital literacy for parents and children and the involvement of schools) is required to enable children with technology as emerging technologies continue to evolve.

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet by students? How can a cooperative multiple-party model support students to become more digitally skilled with new technology?

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