39% Increase In Children's Digital Habits

39% Increase In Children's Digital Habits

A recent study by Baatu Tech, India's leading smart parenting solutions provider, has unveiled concerning trends in children's digital habits. The research reveals that kids aged 8-12 spend a staggering 4 hours per day glued to screens, with this unhealthy obsession intensifying as they grow older. Teens spend upto 9 hours in the digital world, where the very least portion of their screen time is allocated for homework. Perhaps most alarmingly, a whopping 64% of children's screen time is devoted to mindless scrolling on social media.

Sandeep Kumar, Founder & Managing Director of Baatu Tech, said, "Our study aims to alert parents about the escalating unproductive screen time among children. Left unchecked, this compounding digital dependence could result in a long-lasting, generational impact on our society's cognitive and social skills. By arming parents with awareness and solutions, our mission is to transform these unhealthy habits into an opportunity to build positive lifelong technology practices."

The study further reveals that most parents are ill-equipped to address this crisis. Despite the risks associated with excessive exposure, such as sleep issues, violence, addictive patterns, and inappropriate content – only 15% actively monitor their children's online activities. Shockingly, just 10% leverage parental control apps or kid-friendly devices to impose healthy limits.

This unfettered access poses immense challenges for parents struggling to balance screen time with engaging in offline activities. While some families enforce strategies like co-viewing, pre-approving apps, and guiding age-appropriate content, a worrying 63% of parents believe uncontrolled digital habits negatively impact their children's overall well-being. The study also highlights a concerning gender divide, with girls outpacing boys in smartphone use (44% vs 33%) and social media consumption (32% vs 22%).

As experts raise alarms on this childhood screen time crisis, Baatu Tech has urged parents to take immediate action by setting clear boundaries, balancing online and outdoor schedules, co-viewing to foster discussions, enabling parental control tools, and prioritizing educational apps that spark creativity and learning.