Boy in coma, mobile games blamed   

ANANTAPUR: An 11-year-old boy went into comatose, which doctors suspect could be consequent to his mobile phone addiction.

The boy, one among the four children of Lingamma and Jammanna of Peddavaduguru mandal, had been addicted to playing games on mobile phones. His parents, both daily wagers, said the standard VII student had been regularly playing games on mobile for several months well past midnight, even after others in the family had slept. Two days ago, the boy’s parents rushed him into a hospital after he had fallen unconscious. Doctors there referred him to the government hospital at Kurnool.

Doctors at Kurnool found damage to the nerves in his brain, which would take time to heal. The parents, meanwhile, are worried since the boy has been failing to recognise them. Studies, though inconclusive, have suggested smartphone addiction could damage the brain, the grey matter that controls a person’s emotions, speech, sight, hearing, memory and self-control.

According to the World Health Organisation, the screen time of young children should not exceed two hours a day. The Covid-19 situation, however, has fuelled a spike in children getting addicted to mobile phones.