13-year old loses Rs 40,000 playing mobile game; ends life, says 'sorry mom'
By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 1, 2021, 6:32 PM ISTIn a shocking incident, a class 6 student from Madhya Pradesh, reportedly committed suicide by hanging due to depression after he lost Rs 40,000 in a mobile game. The mother of the boy who was at work at the time, received an alert message on her phone following the huge amount deduction. She then called her son and scolded him. The boy then went into a room, locked it from inside, left a note and was allegedly committed suicide.
In the lastest case of mobile phone addiction and tragedy, a 13-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide by hanging after losing Rs 40,000 in a mobile phone game.
The incident was reported from Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The boy is said to have left a suicide note seeking an apology from his mother after the loss of the amount.
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As per the police, the 13-year-old's parents are in the medical field. His father is a pathology lab owner and his mother is a nurse at a government hospital.
According to information, the boy withdrew Rs 40,000 from his mother's UPI account for a mobile game called ‘Free Fire’.
The incident happened when his parents were not around and were busy at work. The police say that the boy's elder sister found the door locked from inside and called her parents. When the door was opened by force, the 13-year-old was found hanging by a ceiling fan.
What do experts say?
As the matter has come to limelight once again, a health expert from NIMHANS opined that it is time for 'Cyber Literacy' as it will help children and adolescents build digital resilience to manage online pressure.
Dr Manoj K Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, NIMHANS told Asianet Newsable, "I say there is a need for Cyber Literacy. That is, children should know how much touch screen should be there, which platform they have to use and they should also be aware of science and symptoms of excessive and addictive use. Secondly, if they come across any sort of bullying, pressure online, they should know how to handle and whom to approach and the last is a family-based quality interaction so that all the family members can express their discontentment, whatever positive, negative behaviour rather than taking this kind of step. I think these three things as a part of the school program, as part of the family-based program and as a public health initiative that can help young children and adolescents avoid these kinds of consequences."
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