Efforts made to remove online gaming addiction of children: Government
New Delhi| Strict steps are being taken by the government regarding online gaming going on on social media. The Central Government told the Rajya Sabha that it has made double efforts to remove the addiction of children to online games on social media. The Rajya Sabha was told that social media intermediaries need to ensure immediate action towards online gaming and removal of content related to potential harm to children.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021, using the powers granted under the IT Act after extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders to address various socio-economic concerns in online games.
The Information Technology Rules, 2021 have an obligation to pay special attention to intermediaries, including social media intermediaries. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasad said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that intermediaries should not host, store or publish any information that violates any law.
According to the government, “intermediaries need to ensure their accountability, including removing unlawful information classified under the IT Rules, 2021 or taking immediate action based on complaints received against any such information”
In addition, the Ministry of Education has issued an advisory for parents and teachers to overcome the disadvantages of online gaming. This advice states that playing online games leads to a serious gaming addiction, which is considered a gaming disorder. He further warned that playing online games without any restrictions and self-imposed limitations causes addiction to many users and ultimately leads to the treatment of gaming disorder.
