As time passes, his parents see that the boy’s grades start falling, he doesn’t feel like going to school and picks fights with his parents over why he doesn’t have a pair of Adidas Sambas like a classmate.

While this is not exactly an original story, it is one of the many that child psychologist and parenting coach Ayushika Anand has encountered in her career. It is often that concerned parents bring in their wards to Anand, wondering what might have gone wrong.

What might seem like just a harmless habit of scrolling or chatting online, often snowballs into something much bigger, tying directly into the mental health struggles kids face today. It's not just about the apps they use, but about how these digital spaces reshape their emotional and social worlds.

“I am seeing a lot of connection between early-age social media exposure and mental health challenges in children,” Anand, who specialises in dealing with pre-teens and teenagers, told The Secretariat. “There is a spike in cases of virtual autism, especially after the COVID-19 lockdown.”

Child psychologists interviewed by The Secretariat noted a common trend: Children have become noticeably more socially anxious since the COVID-19 lockdown, which lasted over a year. During this period, children were confined at home with their parents and grandparents, with little to no opportunity for social interaction with friends.

Virtual autism, as Anand explained it, is a modern phenomenon that has emerged from the depths of our increasingly digital world. Imagine, if you will, a child who spends an inordinate amount of time glued to a screen — be it a tablet, smartphone or television.

This overexposure can result in the child not being able to distinguish between the real and virtual worlds, which creates confusion and results in developmental delays, explained Anand.

The Secretariat also spoke to Dr Stuti Kumar, a child psychologist who specialises in cognitive therapy. Dr Kumar shared the case of a four-year-old patient who had excessive screen exposure and began fabricating scenarios that weren’t true.

In one instance, the child walked over to a neighbor’s house, claiming his parents were fighting, which was why he had come over to escape the fight. However, this wasn’t the case—the parents were simply busy with household chores. By their own admission, they rarely monitored what their child was watching on the tablet.

“Parents are now struggling with forcing their kids out of the house and participating in extra-curricular activities,” explained Dr Kumar.

The cause behind neurodivergent disorders like virtual autism are not yet fully known, but there is evidence to support the theory that long-time exposure to the screen could be a major contributing factor.

A 2023 study involving 101,350 children, aged 0-17, found the link. It said that a vast majority of kids spend too much time on screens and this overuse was linked to problems like behaviour issues, developmental delays, speech disorders, learning disabilities, autism and ADHD. 

The effect was stronger in younger children (pre-schoolers) and boys. The study called for urgent action to limit screen time and support early intervention.

Children aged 3-10 are often more exposed to TV, as parents frequently use it as a distraction to keep them occupied while they manage household tasks. However, this practice can also be harmful.

A study published in Acta Paediatrica found that children who watched TV alone were 8.47 times more likely to experience language delays, compared to those who interacted with caregivers during viewing.

“Today, we have Smart TVs, so social media platforms like YouTube are accessible to small kids too,” said Anand. “Every year, the age at which kids are pivoting from TV to social media is decreasing. It’s now very common for a 13 or a 14-year-old kid to be on social media.”

And a lot of the time, parents aren’t aware that their kids are active on these platforms. Dr Kumar said that parents have a huge role to play in their kids’ social media activities.

“The parent-child relationship is paramount. And there are more marriages breaking apart now, than they did about 20 years ago, so that has an impact on the kids’ psyche,” added Dr Kumar. “As a result, the kid struggles to fit in at home and outside of home, and mature early. Or sometimes the child’s personality doesn’t allow them to socialise among their peers.”

One nation, however, decided it was time to take bold and decisive action.

Australia Bans Social Media For U-16s

Australia has become the first country in the world to pass a law, prohibiting children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. This legislation, passed by the Parliament in late November 2024, is set to take effect in late 2025. 

It mandates that social media companies implement measures to prevent underage users from creating accounts, with non-compliance penalties reaching up to AUD 50 million. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasised the government's commitment to protecting children online, stating, "We want children to have their childhood. We want parents to have peace of mind. That's what a minimum age for safer social media will help achieve.”

During Australia's Parliamentary debate on the Bill, numerous tragic cases of children losing their lives due to social media bullying and trolling were brought to light.

As per a Pew Research Center survey, 46 per cent of US teens aged between 13 and 17, have reported experiencing cyberbullying.

Should India Ban Social Media For Kids?

Australia’s ban has sparked a range of reactions. Supporters argue that it is a necessary step to protect children from online predators and the adverse effects of social media on mental health. 

However, critics express concerns about privacy implications, the potential for driving children to less regulated online spaces, and the practicality of enforcing such a ban. 

In India, both arguments have multifaceted factors that can influence the debate.

Currently, Indian laws provide some privacy safeguards for children under frameworks like the Information Technology (IT) Act and the proposed Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill, which includes provisions to protect minors’ data. 

These laws mandate stricter consent requirements for processing children’s data and prohibit practices like targeted advertising. However, enforcement remains a challenge, as collecting and storing identification data for millions of minors and their parents could create substantial security risks. Without the implementation of the DPDP Act, data privacy remains a risky affair.

The lack of robust mechanisms to verify children’s age on digital platforms complicates the situation further. Age verification helps in examining the end-user’s identity, and may help in ushering tailor-made design and access points, as well as technology access policies on an app (in terms of access protocols, and relevant community/user guidelines) from an accountability-responsibility perspective. 

It is fairly easy for an underage person to create an account on a social media platform. The age limit across Instagram (created via Facebook account), X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat is 13 years. To verify age, typically, the platforms rely on self-reported birth dates during the sign-up process, which can be easily falsified by users.

Abhivardhan, founder of Indic Pacific Legal Research, and Chairperson of the Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law, suggests that managing social media usage in a way that involves the entire family can be an effective strategy, especially in households where devices like phones or tablets are shared among family members. 

“This approach focuses on empowering parents and guardians to manage their children's online activities while respecting the family dynamics prevalent in countries like India,” he added.

But should the Indian government consider banning social media for underage children? The jury is divided on that.

“While banning apps has worked in the case of certain apps like TikTok… We should consider the challenges that blanket bans have, on the larger ecosystem of end-users (children to begin with),” said Abhivardhan.

“We can surely try it in India as a social experiment first, and then maybe impose it later,” said Dr Kumar. “But other factors like parental control and a child’s environment must be taken into account. A ban will improve the current situation by maybe 10-12 per cent, but will the parent also implement the said ban at home?”

“Social development through social media is not development at all,” said Anand. “I support the social media ban in India for underage children.”

Tech firms can help countries that don’t want to adopt laws like Australia’s ban. Until then, doctors say that parents must work with their children to reduce their screen time. Go out and play, is the doctor’s advice.