Mumbai: Maharashtra Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar on Wednesday said that an expert task force has been constituted to study digital addiction among children and the report will be submitted before the next session of the state legislature.
“In view of the growing concerns surrounding digital addition among children and its adverse effects, the Maharashtra government has constituted an expert task force to comprehensively study the issue and recommend appropriate remedial measures. The task force will include members of the legislative assembly as well as the legislative council,’’ Shelar said while speaking in the legislative council, in response to concerns raised by Niranjan Davkhare, Sanjay Kenekar and other members.
If the expert task force makes any recommendations for amendments to existing laws, they will be formally conveyed to the central government for appropriate consideration, Shelar said.
Several legislative council members participated in the discussion on the matter, including Pravin Darekar, Chitra Wagh, Bhai Jagtap and Uma Khapre. The discussion brought to the forefront escalating risks of social media addiction among youth and minors, and questions regarding age restrictions for gaming apps, social media usage, and digital advertisements.
“There are nearly 4 crore (40 million) children below 18 years in the state, of which about 3 crore (30 million) are aged below 15 years. Their mental and physical well-being is a matter of serious concern,’’ Shelar said.
Written instructions to constitute an expert task force to examine the matter had been issued on February 2, 2026 to the Principal Secretary of the IT Department, Virendra Singh, Shelar said.
“The state-level expert task force will include educationists, psychiatrists, child counsellors, technology experts, management experts, doctors, legal experts and senior officials from concerned government departments,”he said.
The task force will study child protection and safety, impact on mental health, balanced and responsible use of digital platforms, impact on education and overall development, cultural and family factors, gender-based differences, rural–urban disparities and review of existing national and international frameworks on digital safety for children.
Shelar also cited a study by Responsible Netism which valued the global gaming market at more than $200 billion, with India ranking first globally in mobile game downloads. According to the study, data from five centres in Maharashtra showed that nearly 3 out of every 10 cases of addiction among children were related to gaming, while assessments conducted in various schools revealed that approximately 40% children exhibit moderate to severe gaming addiction, Shelar said.
Excessive gaming and addiction resulted in increased irritability, decline in academic performance, phantom vibration syndrome (the sensation that the phone is vibrating when it is not) and social withdrawal, he said.
Shelar also said that games promoting cognitive development would be encouraged through competitions.
“The authority to enact legislation rests with the central government. Any recommendations for legal amendments to existing laws emerging from the task force’s study will be formally conveyed to the central government for appropriate consideration,” he said.