State government may tweak law to fight addiction in children to online games
the goan I network
PANAJI
The smartphone addiction of your child and the endless hours spent playing online games could soon have a foil with the State government mulling restrictions through changes in the IT law.
The State Information & Technology ministry on Sunday expressed the need to deal with growing addiction of school children to smartphones and online video-games like PUBG games. The issue will be discussed with the Chief Minister in a bid to bring in laws to curb the addictive cyber games.
“If such activities cannot be restricted within the ambit of the family then some law needs to come in place,” said Information & Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte said, while speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a government event at Porvorim.
He further said that a positive mind-set needs to be created and some law has to come.
“But whether it will be a restrictive law I can’t say right now. We have to study and decide about it. We will have to find a solution after discussing with the chief minister,” the minister said.
Replying to a specific question about multi-player game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, popularly called PUBG, which is banned in many States in India, Khaunte said, “I am not aware about other states banning PUBG game but bad things should be restricted.”
“The students, instead of studying, are engrossed and busy with PUBG game, playing on unknown battlegrounds. At the end of the day, there is no achievement”, he added.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will have to take a call on it as PUBG has become a demon in every household, he said.
It may be recalled that the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) on Monday termed a number of games ‘harmful’ for kids.
The DCPCR listed video and online games such as PUBG, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, God of War, Hitman, Plague Inc and Pokemon, saying these games make a negative impact and have an adverse effect on the child’s mind. Several state governments in India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Maharashtra are imposing rules and laws to ban this mobile game. The addiction to PUBG Mobile has resulted in many such cases where the players are anyway injuring themselves.
There is no specific data available of the number of smartphone users in Goa but the numbers for India are pegged at 340 million which is expected to rise to 468 million by 2021. PUBG
A MENACE
Khaunte said he was not aware about other states banning PUBG game but opined that bad things should be restricted
The students, instead of studying, are engrossed and busy with PUBG game. At the end of the day, there is no achievement, he said
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will have to take a call on it as PUBG has become a demon in every household, said the minister
