India's first dedicated center to help children and youth combat internet and technology addiction will be established at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently approved the proposal to set up the Centre for Advanced Research on Addictive Behaviours (CAR-AB), which will focus on addressing excessive and problematic technology use.
Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, Faculty in-charge of the Behavioral Addictions Clinic (BAC) at AIIMS, Delhi who is leading this project, said, Excessive and problematic use of technology has been recognised as a major public health problem."
Increase in mental health issues in children
Dr Balhara said that the Economic Survey of India (2024-25) has linked the rise in mental health issues in children and adolescents to excessive internet use highlighted the urgent need for school and family-level interventions to keep children and adolescents away from the internet to improve their mental well-being.
"This is a first-of-its-kind centre in the country that has been mandated to develop evidence-based intervention targeted at excessive and problematic use of technology, especially among the children and the youth," Dr Balhara said.
He further said that the centre would comprehensively address various addictive behaviours. The interventions would be aimed at prevention, screening, early detection and intervention for internet and technology-related addictions among children and youth.
This will help reduce stress, depression, anxiety
Additionally, training materials will be created to equip professionals in the education and healthcare sectors with the skills needed to prevent and manage these issues effectively. According to Dr Balhara, the proposed interventions will also aid in alleviating stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction linked to excessive internet and technology use.
Furthermore, the center plans to develop an AI-powered predictive model to identify young individuals at risk of problematic technology use. The project is expected to have a budget of Rs 14 crore, he added.
The CAR-AB, related to excessive and problematic use of technology, would partner with school and college students, parents, teachers and faculty from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and other medical colleges to create a national network targeted at addressing the internet and technology related addictions, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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