MUMBAI: When 12-year-old William D’Souza (name changed) started playing games on his cell phone three years back, his south Mumbai family never imagined they would need police help to tackle his addict-like behavior.
On Thursday, William, now 15, ran away from his Agripada residence after an argument with his family over his addiction. The local police didn’t register a compliant but spent days tracing the boy to a distant northern suburb and reuniting him with his family on Sunday.
His family reprimanded him, took away his SIM card and sent him to a psychiatrist in order to check his internet gaming addiction, but the youngster always found ways to play on; on most days, he would walk into railway stations for Wi-Fi connection to continue playing.
Smartphone addiction is now recognised as a mental health/behavior problem, especially among children and adolescents. Studies have…
On Thursday, William, now 15, ran away from his Agripada residence after an argument with his family over his addiction. The local police didn’t register a compliant but spent days tracing the boy to a distant northern suburb and reuniting him with his family on Sunday.
His family reprimanded him, took away his SIM card and sent him to a psychiatrist in order to check his internet gaming addiction, but the youngster always found ways to play on; on most days, he would walk into railway stations for Wi-Fi connection to continue playing.
Smartphone addiction is now recognised as a mental health/behavior problem, especially among children and adolescents. Studies have…
