Karnataka Targets Student Screen Addiction
Karnataka's draft digital policy proposes new limits and programs to curb student screen addiction, signaling a policy turn toward teaching digital self‑control and reducing unstructured device time. The report raises questions about how schools should teach and enforce healthy device habits. (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com)
The draft titled “Responsible Digital Use Among Students” was released by Karnataka’s Department of Health and Family Welfare on March 23–24, 2026 and lists the Karnataka State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA), the Department of Education and NIMHANS as collaborators while explicitly naming high‑school cohorts (Classes 9–12), teachers and parents as target groups. (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com thehindu.com ) One operational prescription in the draft is a cap on recreational screen time—recommended at one hour per day excluding academic use—paired with a proposed automated “child plan” that would stop mobile data after 7:00 PM and offer audio‑only phone options for younger users. (cnbctv18.com) (cnbctv18.com newindianexpress.com ) The draft requires each school to draft its own Digital Use Policy and to constitute a Digital Wellness or Safety Committee composed of the principal or vice‑principal, a counsellor or mental‑health professional, designated teachers, a parent representative, a student representative and cyber‑crime officials. (newindianexpress.com) (newindianexpress.com ) The policy frames problematic technology use as a public‑health concern and cites Indian studies indicating roughly 25% of adolescents show signs of internet addiction, while recommending mandatory teacher training to identify red flags and strengthened in‑school counselling and referral systems. (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com cnbctv18.com ) The draft also asks schools to integrate age‑appropriate digital‑wellbeing and social‑media literacy into life‑skills, value‑education and ICT curricula, recommends tech‑free routines for parents (such as all screens off one hour before bedtime) and has been released for public feedback. (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com thehindu.com cnbctv18.com ) Because the draft places the onus on structured teacher training and school‑level policies, one immediate inference is that elementary schools could operationalize these directives by repurposing existing life‑skills or class‑meeting time to deliver regular, age‑appropriate digital‑wellbeing lessons and by embedding simple tech‑curfew protocols into school‑home communication plans (inference). (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (education.economictimes.indiatimes.com thehindu.com )
