Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Reels may have become a source of short and cheap source of entertainment, but they have had serious impact on real life of those who are addicted to it. Allured by reel videos, many children stopped going to schools and coaching institutes. Psychiatrists have voiced concern over it.
In the state capital, an 11-year-old girl created a reel and posted it online. Encouraged by her grandparents’ praise, she began making more reels and started ordering makeup products from online shopping apps. She attends school, but as soon as she comes back, she immediately starts creating reels. In another case, a boy from the city, who went to Kota to prepare for IIT, stopped attending classes entirely.
He spends his entire day in his room watching reels. To avoid his parents finding out, he provided his own contact number to the coaching institute, ensuring that any calls or messages from tutors reach him instead of his parents. Satyakant Trivedi, consulting psychiatrist described the rising obsession with social media validation as ‘an epidemic and the root cause of many digital problems.’ He said that the issue has become a topic of national concern.
‘We cannot eliminate technology, but we must understand the limits of its use,’ he added. Trivedi advocates for the inclusion of healthy technology usage in school and college curriculums. He said that awareness must begin at both government and household levels to combat the growing issue effectively.
Desire for validation, fame becomes dangerous obsession
In MP, several tragic incidents have occurred where individuals lost their lives while filming reels for social media. On June 15 in Bhopal, a 20-year-old youth working at a call centre fell from a moving bike while filming reels. Two of his friends, who were also on the bike, sustained serious injuries and were hospitalised.
In another incident on July 22, an 11-year-old boy in Morena district died while attempting a prank video involving a noose. The situation turned fatal when he lost consciousness and despite his family rushing him to the hospital, he could not be saved. On November 17 in Guna, a youth drowned while attempting to create a dramatic diving shot for a reel.
