Last update:08 November 2024, 7:07 p.m. IST

LocalCircles survey: 47% of urban parents say their children spend an average of 3 hours or more every day online

The study received more than 70,000 responses from parents located in more than 368 urban districts across the country.

According to a LocalCircles survey, one in two urban Indian parents believe that their children are addicted to social media, online gaming platforms and social networking sites, making them aggressive, impatient and lethargic.

The study received more than 70,000 responses from parents located in more than 368 urban districts across the country. 61% of the respondents were male while 39% of the respondents were female. 43% of respondents were from Tier 1, 27% from Tier 2, and 30% of respondents were from Tier 3 and 4 districts.

3 hours or more every day on social media, videos/OTT and online gaming

The survey first asked parents in urban areas: “How much time on average per day do children aged 9 to 17 in your family spend on social media, videos/OTT, and online gaming on the Internet?” ? »

Of the 13,285 people who responded to the question, 10% of parents/guardians said their children aged 9 to 17 spent “6 hours or more” on the Internet; 37% of respondents said “3 to 6 hours”; 39% of respondents said “1 to 3 hours”; 9% said “up to 1 hour” and only 5% said their services “spend almost no time on social media, video/OTT, and online gaming.”

To summarize, 47% of urban Indian parents of children aged 9-17 say that their children spend an average of 3 hours or more every day on social media, videos/OTT and online games.

Addicted to social networks, videos or online games

The survey then asked, “What do you think the children ages 9 to 17 in your family are addicted to (what do they have to do every day)?” »

Of the 13,678 parents/guardians who responded to the question, some indicated more than one option. 66% of respondents indicated that their children are addicted to “video/OTT (Youtube, Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, etc.)”; 61% of respondents indicated “social networks (Instagram, WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, Be Real, etc.)”; 52% indicated “online games (Minecraft, PUBG, Fortnight, Among US, FIFA, Fantasy Sports , etc.)” and 23% indicated “other online activities” not mentioned. Additionally, 5% of respondents did not give a clear answer, while 5% of respondents said that “fortunately, they are not addicted to any of the above Internet activities.”

In summary, the majority of urban Indian parents of children aged 9 to 17 admit that their children are addicted to social media, online videos or games and, in some cases, one or more of these media.

Aggression, impatience and lethargy due to excessive time spent on social media

The survey then asked parents: “What emotional or mental impact of social media, videos/OTT and online games do you see on your children aged 9 to 17?” »

Among the 13,743 people who responded to the question, some indicated more than one impact: 58% said they saw “aggressive” behavior; 49% said children were “impatient”; 49% described children as “lethargic”; 42% said the children were “depressed”; 30% said children are “hyperactive”, while 19% described children as “happier” and 4% of parents said children were “more social”. Additionally, 23% of parents reported “other impacts” not mentioned and 4% reported “none of the above impacts” were observed.

To summarize, the largest number of urban Indian parents of children aged 9 to 17 report that their children’s aggression, impatience and lethargy are the result of excessive time spent on social media, videos/ OTT or online gaming.

66% want the data protection law to ensure that mandatory parental consent is requested

The survey asked parents/guardians: “Should India prioritize mandatory parental consent for children below 18 years of age to join social media, OTT/video and online gaming platforms? »

Of 13,174 parents/guardians who responded to the question, 66% answered “yes, absolutely” parental consent for children under 18 should be mandatory; 20% answered “no, the minimum age to join without consent should be 15”; 4% of respondents answered “no, the minimum age for joining without consent should be kept at 13” and 10% of respondents did not give a clear answer.

“Make Aadhaar authentication a must”

The survey ultimately asked: “How should India operationalize mandatory parental consent for children below 18 years of age to join social media, OTT/video platforms and online gaming platforms?” »

The question received 17,143 responses, of which 35% said “this should be done through a centralized Aadhaar authentication system”; 12% said “this should be done by platforms storing Aadhaar details of the child and parent”; 18% of respondents said, “this should be done via parent’s mobile number or email without Aadhaar authentication required”; 9% want “this to be done by video with the parent and child together”; and 4% said “it should be done in a way other than those indicated.”

Additionally, 9% of respondents said “this should not be done at all,” while 15% of respondents did not give a clear answer.

In summary, the highest percentage (33%) of urban Indian parents surveyed believe that India should operationalize mandatory parental consent for children joining social media, OTTs and online gaming platforms through authentication Aadhaar.

LocalCircles is a community-based social media platform that allows citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and law enforcement intervention and enables government to develop citizen- and small-business-centered policies businesses.