Bengaluru, April 1 (IANS). The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced a draft policy aimed at promoting responsible digital usage among students. The policy focuses on addressing growing concerns over excessive screen time and its impact on mental health.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “The Department of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) (in Bengaluru) and other concerned departments has formulated the ‘Responsible Digital Use among Students’ policy. It aims to tackle the problems arising from unsafe and excessive use of digital technology among school children.”
According to the draft, almost one in four teenagers shows signs of problematic Internet use. The policy highlights growing mental health concerns such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, poor academic performance and social isolation associated with excessive screen exposure. He said it also highlights the growing risks of cyberbullying, online grooming and digital exploitation.
He explained, “The main objective of this policy is to promote digital well-being, emotional resilience and responsible technology use through a systematic, school-based framework. It proposes a preventive approach that focuses on early identification and management of digital addiction and related issues.”
Under this policy, digital literacy, mental health awareness and cyber security will be integrated into the school system. He informed that a multi-stakeholder model involving schools, teachers, parents, students and government agencies has been proposed for effective implementation.
Gundu Rao said that among the key directions, the state government plans to introduce guidelines for schools, start teacher training programs on healthy technology use and strengthen communication with parents regarding the digital habits of students.
Key policy interventions include integrating digital well-being into life skills and ICT education, covering social media literacy, cyber security, ethical technology use and mental health impacts.
He said schools would also be required to draw up their own digital usage policies, which would include recommended screen-time limits of up to one hour per day for entertainment, as well as mechanisms to deal with cyber misconduct and provide counseling support.
The draft policy also emphasizes early identification of behavioral and academic ‘red flags’ (danger signs), with trained teachers referring students to counselors and mental health services if needed. School-level digital well-being committees will be formed to oversee implementation, awareness programs and event management.
To promote balanced development, the policy encourages offline activities such as physical exercise, hobbies and scheduled ‘tech-free’ periods. Monitoring systems will be set up to track the digital crisis and provide access to support services, including TELE-MANAS.
A systematic ‘training of trainers’ model will be launched to equip teachers with the skills to recognize and deal with technology addiction. It will also include understanding behavioral patterns, such as cravings, loss of control, compulsions, coping mechanisms and its consequences.
The policy also highlights the role of parents as key stakeholders, and urges them to strictly enforce screen-time rules, create ‘device-free zones’ at home, and promote offline activities. Schools will support parents through regular awareness and guidance sessions.
–IANS
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