Negative Impact on Mental Wellbeing

Social media has given large sections of the population avenues to connect with each other and express themselves online, but research suggests that these trends have also led to an increase in addiction, sleeping disorders, anxiety and depression especially among the youth

The increase in penetration of social media has provided avenues for individuals to not only connect but also express themselves better. This increase in content creation is visible even in rural areas of India with the influx of farmers, artisans and craftsmen using social media and online content for communication. All this together has led to an Indian content industry valued at USD 19 bn in 2020.37

While social media provides individuals with freedom of expression, it has also proven to be addictive. The 2019 JAMA network study suggests that teenagers who use social media for more than three hours daily are more likely to experience mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and antisocial behaviour.38 These concerns were found to increase during the pandemic as screen time increased significantly.39 This risk has been witnessed and accepted in India but extensive data-based studies are yet to be done.

Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.45

Shikhar is a 17 year old boy, who lives in a slum in Delhi. Two years ago he had an accident and lost his left arm. His parents are daily wage workers with limited incomes, and in order to manage expenses for his treatment, he had to drop out of school.

To maintain his social network, he uses his second hand smartphone for communication and entertainment purposes. He spends a lot of time on social media platforms creating and sharing content.

Over time, his mobile addiction has started increasing. He eagerly waits for friends and acquaintances to respond to his posts online and gets upset and annoyed if they do not. This is also leading to sleeping disorders.

Over the past six years, the system’s response to mental wellbeing issues has evolved from the latent to the emerging stage. Global researchers and media coverage have led to increased recognition of the risks, but there are limited solutions to combat it.

2016: Limited conversations about the impact of social media and games on addiction or mental health in India.

2022: There is widespread awareness and a growing body of evidence on the impact of smartphone use on mental health, resulting in issues such as addiction, body shaming, anxiety, and depression. However, there are limited solutions to counter this risk.

Several cases of child suicide and self-harm allegedly as a result of Blue Whale were reported in 2017. Suicides, accidents and violent behaviour among youth linked to PUBG addiction were reported in 2019.46 47

Meta launched new mental health resource centers

An internal document leak from the company showed it was aware of the harmful mental effects its platforms had on teens.48 49

Meta launched a tool that brings worldwide medical experts onto its platform to raise awareness and provide helpful resources to those in need.50

Draft amendments to the IT Intermediary Rules, 2021, to extend them to online gaming, were proposed. These include KYC obligations for users and industry-led self-regulation to minimise harms.51

Media attention on the deteriorating effect of internet usage on mental health has risen.

Over the past six years, private-sector solutions have increased.

Over the past six years, global media has focused on the growing body of evidence of the linkages between smartphone use and mental wellbeing of adolescents and adults. In India, many celebrities have openly discussed the negative impact of social media trolls and comments on mental health. In a 2021 tweet, the honourable Prime Minister acknowledged that there is an increase in mental stress due to excessive online gaming.52

In 2016, there was limited focus on the impact of tech platforms and smartphone use on mental wellbeing. In 2019, Twitter created a standalone reporting mechanism for Indian users with suicidal/self-harm tendencies. They have also built a repository of authentic resources for ensuring wellbeing.53 Similarly in 2020, Meta also launched mental health helplines and resources catering to local needs.54 Post the 2021 whistleblower leak, Meta launched new mental health resource centres across all its apps. These platforms have also partnered with leading mental health organisations across India for these initiatives.55

Despite the awareness of mental wellbeing concerns, there are limited solutions and there is no consensus on how to address related concerns. Given the lack of evidence on the impact of smartphone use on Indians and absence of solutions, philanthropic capital can be deployed through the following pathways:

Building consensus through large datasets, policies and, legal ecosystem.

Piloting private sector solutions that eliminate the trade-offs in diverging priorities of private, public and social sectors.

The table below presents gap areas and illustrative funding opportunities for philanthropy to advance the discourse and pilot solutions to safeguard the mental wellbeing of Indian adolescents and adults:

Conduct credible and pan-India research and collect large-scale datasets on the impact of digitisation on mental wellbeing in the Indian context.

Fund proof of concept for innovative technology solutions that combat wellbeing concerns arising from usage of internet and social media. Major concerns that experts have highlighted include anxiety, addiction, and depression.