Indore minors 'logging out' of real world, say experts

A word of caution for tech-savvy parents who take pride in their young ones logging on to Facebook or learning the nuances of WhatsApp. Spending too much time in the virtual world is a leading cause of depression.

A word of caution for all the tech-savvy parents who take pride in their young ones logging on to Facebook or learning the nuances of WhatsApp.

Studies have shown spending too much time in the virtual world and social networking sites is a leading cause of depression amongst children and adolescents.

With around 20% of children in Indore alone struggling with depression, according to a study by the Indian Psychiatric Society, experts feel that downplaying the importance of touch and physical communication is the chief factor.

"People are living such fast-paced lives they have no time to catch up with their near and dear ones... we have social media where we spend more than half of our day. The addiction has become so severe that even when parents and children are with each other, a portion of their mind is occupied with the recent update on Facebook and... WhatsApp," said Dr Abhay Jain, psychiatrist and organisation secretary of CIPCON.

A leading cause for suicidal tendencies and other physical irritants as well, Dr Jain adds, "I have seen so many cases wherein the parents have got their children tested for a thousand and one things and have still not been able to understand the reason for their illness. It is only after a psycho-analysis is done that we come to know that he is suffering from depression."

Targeted on improving these habits and teaching people about ideal parenting a national-level conference titled CIPCON-2014 will be held in the city. The two-day conference will begin from October 17.

The theme of the conference this year is ‘Child and adolescent mental health’. Dr Vinay Kumar from Patna and Dr Sanjay Gupta from Varanasi will be the guest speakers.