The Karnataka government recently unveiled a comprehensive draft policy aimed at tackling the growing problem of mobile phone addiction among students, placing mental health, cyber safety and responsible digital behavior at the centre of a structured, school-led intervention.

Releasing key highlights, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said excessive mobile phone use is increasingly harming both health and education, pointing to rising cases of anxiety, cyberbullying, sleep disruption and social isolation among young users.

“You can see how mobile phones are reducing conversations within families. They are disturbing our social structure. While we have learnt how to use technology, we have not fully understood its negative effects, including digital addiction and its impact on the mind,” Rao said.

The policy, drafted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and other stakeholders, flags a worrying trend: nearly 1 in 4 adolescents show signs of problematic internet use, with consequences ranging from poor academic performance to emotional distress.

At its core, the framework seeks to embed digital literacy, mental health awareness and cyber safety into the education system, promoting emotional resilience and responsible technology use among students. It adopts a preventive approach, focusing on early identification and intervention through coordinated efforts involving schools, parents, teachers and government systems.

Among the key proposals, the government plans to issue state-level guidelines for schools, roll out teacher training programmes on healthy technology use, and strengthen school-parent communication. Digital wellness will also be integrated into life skills and ICT curricula, covering social media literacy, ethical technology use and online safety.

Each school will be required to develop its own digital use policy, including setting screen-time limits—capped at 1 hour per day for recreational use—along with mechanisms to address cyber misconduct and provide counseling support.

Teachers will be trained to identify early warning signs of digital distress and refer students to appropriate mental health services through structured channels. Schools will also establish Digital Wellness Committees to oversee implementation, awareness drives and incident management.

The draft emphasizes the need for regular sensitization programmes for students, teachers and parents, alongside promoting offline activities such as sports, hobbies and designated “tech-free” periods to ensure balanced development.

Monitoring systems will be introduced to track digital distress and connect students with support services, including Tele-MANAS. A structured ‘Training of Trainers’ model under a digital detox framework will equip educators to understand and address technology addiction using the 5C model — Craving, Control, Compulsion, Coping and Consequences.

Recognizing parents as key stakeholders, the policy urges them to enforce screen-time rules, create device-free zones at home and model responsible digital behavior, with schools facilitating engagement through regular guidance sessions.

The policy clearly defines roles across stakeholders: students are expected to practise responsible digital habits, teachers to monitor well-being and integrate digital wellness into classrooms, parents to supervise usage, schools to provide support systems, and the government to ensure oversight and resources.

If implemented effectively, the government expects the policy to enhance digital literacy, reduce technology addiction and related mental health issues, enable early intervention, strengthen school-parent collaboration and create safer digital environments.

The draft concludes that the initiative offers a proactive and scalable roadmap to manage digital risks among students, combining education, mental health and cyber safety into a unified strategy aimed at building a balanced and resilient generation.