Mahrashtra: Yavatmal village bans use of phone for children citing addiction
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Excessive and unregulated screentime during Covid-19 meant children grew addicted to using phones for playing games or browsing websites considered inappropriate for their age, Gajanan Tale, sarpanch of Bansi gram panchayat, claimed.
“We know that the implementation of this decision would be difficult but we’ll address the challenges through counseling initially,” Tale said. “[A Rs 200] Penalty will be levied on any children found using mobiles.”
“It is an excellent step to inculcate good habits among students,” Ashish Deshmukh, a young student told TOI.
Parents, too, were supportive of the initiative as it would allow them to be vigilant of their young ones.
Village head Vijay Mohite said he had conceived the idea as a one-off experiment but it caught on to become a widely-observed practice after ASHA workers, social activists and others in the village threw their weight behind it.
“At present, between 7 pm and 8.30 pm, people keep their mobile phones aside, switch off television sets and focus on reading, studying, writing and conversations, Mohite told PTI.
“A ward-wise committee has been set up to monitor if the initiative is being implemented,” he added.
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