1 in 2 Urban Parents Say Their Kids Are Addicted To Social Media, OTT: Survey
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LocalCircles survey: 47% urban parents say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more each day online
The study received over 70,000 responses from parents located in over 368 urban districts of the country.
One in two urban Indian parents feel their children are addicted to social media, OTT and online gaming platforms which is making them aggressive, impatient and lethargic, according to LocalCircles survey.
The study received over 70,000 responses from parents located in over 368 urban districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 43% respondents were from tier 1, 27% from tier 2 and 30% respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts.
3 hours or more each day on social media, videos/OTT and online games
The survey first asked parents in urban areas, “How much average time per day are children between ages 9-17 in your family spending on social media, videos/ OTT and online games on internet?”
Of the 13,285 who responded to the question, 10% of parents/ guardians stated that their children in the age group 9-17 year spent “6+ hours” on the internet; 37% of respondents stated “3-6 hours”; 39% of respondents stated “1-3 hours”; 9% stated “up to 1 hour” and only 5% stated that their wards are “spending hardly any time on social media, videos/OTT and online games”.
To sum up, 47% urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more each day on social media, videos/OTT and online games
Addicted to social media, videos or online gaming
The survey next asked, “What all do you feel children between ages 9-17 in your family are addicted (have to engage in every day) to?”
Some among 13,678 parents/ guardians who responded to the question indicated more than one option. 66% of those surveyed indicated that their children are addicted to “video/ OTT (Youtube, Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, etc.)”; 61% of respondents indicated “social media (Instagram, WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, Be Real, etc.)”; 52% indicated “online gaming (Minecraft, PUBG, Fortnight, Among US, FIFA, Fantasy Sports, etc.)”; and 23% indicated “other activities online” not mentioned. In addition, 5% of respondents did not give a clear answer while 5% of respondents stated that “luckily they are not addicted to any of the above” internet-based pursuits.
To sum up, majority of urban Indian parents of children between ages 9-17 admit that their children are addicted to social media, videos or online gaming and in some cases one or more such mediums.
Aggression, impatience and lethargy due to excessive time on social media
The survey next asked parents, “What all emotional or mental impact of social media, videos/ OTT and online games do you see on your children between the ages 9-17?”
Some among the 13,743 who responded to the question indicated more than one impact with 58% stating that they see “aggressive” behaviour; 49% stated that the children are “impatient”; 49% described the children as being “lethargic”; 42% stated that the children are “depressed”; 30% stated that the children are “hyperactive”; while 19% described the children to be “happier” and 4% of parents stated that the children as “more social”. In addition, 23% of parents indicated “other impact” not mentioned and 4% stated “none of the above” impacts have been witnessed.
To sum up, highest number of urban Indian parents of children ages 9-17 say aggression, impatience and lethargy in their children is a result of excessive time spent on social media, videos/OTT or online games.
66% want data protection law to ensure mandatory parental consent is sought
The survey asked parents/ guardians, “Should India operationalize on priority the mandatory parental consent for children under 18 to join social media, OTT/ video and online gaming platforms?”
Out of 13,174 parents/ guardians who responded to the question 66% stated “yes, absolutely” parental consent for children below 18 years should be mandatory; 20% stated “no, the minimum age to join without consent should be 15 years”; 4% of the respondents stated “no, the minimum age to join without consent should be retained at 13″ and 10% of the respondents did not give a clear response.
‘Make Aadhaar authentication a must’
The survey finally asked, “How should India operationalize the mandatory parental consent for children under 18 to join social media, OTT/ video and online gaming platforms?”
The question received 17,143 responses with 35% stating “it should be done via a centralized Aadhaar authentication system”; 12% stated that “it should be done by platforms storing Aadhaar details of both the child and the parent”; 18% of respondents stated, “it should be done via mobile number or email of parent with no Aadhaar authentication required”; 9% want that “it should be done through video with parent and child together”; and 4% stated “it should be done in some other way than the ones listed”.
In addition, 9% of respondents stated “it should not be done at all” while 15% of respondents did not give a clear answer.
To sum up, highest percentage (33%) of urban Indian parents surveyed believe that India should operationalize mandatory parental consent for children joining social media, OTT and online gaming platforms via Aadhaar authentication
LocalCircles is a community social media platform that enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions and enables the government to make policies that are citizen and small business centric.
