Srinagar, Oct 5: Once-lively playgrounds across Kashmir now stand empty, as children increasingly trade cricket bats and footballs for glowing screens. Health experts warn that this growing dependence is creating a silent crisis that could reshape an entire generation.
“I gave my son the phone just so he would eat quietly. Now, even the call of the playground feels like a distant echo,” says Shazia Begum, a mother.
Psychologists say the problem often begins when toddlers are pacified with screens.
“This early conditioning wires children to see devices as comfort. By teenage years, it turns into dependency,” explains Dr Arshid Hussain, noted psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatry at Government Medical College Srinagar.
Global research underscores the risks. A 2025 meta-analysis of 117 studies covering 292,000 children found that screen-based soothing in early childhood is linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and aggression later in life.
Doctors across Kashmir report a surge in screen-related health issues. “Children as young as seven now present with severe eye strain and short-sightedness,” says Dr Manzoor, ophthalmologist.
A 2025 international study found that every extra hour of screen time increases the risk of myopia by 21 percent.
“Screen overuse overstimulates the brain, disturbs sleep, and impairs focus. We even see cases resembling ‘virtual autism,’” adds Dr Bilal Ahmad, neurologist at SKIMS. Paediatricians also note cervical pain, weak bones, and obesity resulting from reduced outdoor activity.
Parents admit that peer pressure aggravates the problem. “If one parent buys a Samsung, the next feels compelled to give an iPhone. But this isn’t a fashion contest—it’s our children’s future,” says Dr Hussain.
Inside homes, many parents feel helpless. “My son tells me, ‘I need the phone for homework,’ and I can’t refuse. Half the time, he ends up on YouTube,” says Shakeela, a mother from Srinagar. Teachers, too, note shorter attention spans, weaker handwriting, and poor teamwork.
“WhatsApp-based homework was meant to modernise education, but here it has opened the door to misuse,” says retired teacher Prof. Shafiq Mir.
Countries elsewhere have taken strict measures to curb the crisis. France bans smartphones in schools for children under 13, South Korea imposes gaming curfews for minors, Finland emphasises outdoor learning and printed assignments, and Japan introduces digital tools only for teens while giving paper homework to younger children. The World Health Organisation recommends no screen use for children under 2, a maximum of one hour daily for children aged 2–5, and not more than two hours for children aged 6–17.
Experts in Kashmir suggest practical measures: delaying personal smartphones until Class 12, keeping meals, bedtime, and outdoor time screen-free, and ensuring at least two hours of daily outdoor play. They also call for reviving traditional activities such as cricket, kite-flying, and storytelling. Educationists urge the J&K Education Department to discourage WhatsApp homework in lower classes and invest in community playgrounds.
Parents themselves must lead by example. “Children learn by watching. If parents cut down their own screen time, talk to their children, and play with them, half the battle is won,” says Prof. Mir.
“We gave phones, thinking it was love. Now it feels like we handed our children chains,” says Imtiyaz, a parent from Baramulla. “We just want our playgrounds filled with laughter again.”