What lies ahead for digitally dependent adolescents in Manipur
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Tina Naorem
Across India, mobile phone usage among adolescents has increased drama- tically in the last decade. As per report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) 2025, among young adults (15–29 years), nearly 97.6% in urban areas and 95.5% in rural areas own smartphones and according to the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2021 report, Manipur saw a massive increase in smartphone access, jumping from 53.4% in 2018 to 92.9% in 2021.
COVID-19 expedited the adoption of internet, internet traffic in India increased by 30% during the first six months of the pandemic, Indians using the internet for education increased by 50%. In Manipur, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the State has also been experiencing ongoing conflict and turmoil for the past two years. During this period, the reliance on the internet and mobile phones among students significantly increased, particularly for attending online classes.
National surveys and mental health observations increasingly point toward problematic screen use among teenagers, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic normalized online learning and prolonged screen exposure. While smartphones serve educational and communicative purposes, excessive and uncontrolled use is being recognized as a behavioral concern. Reports suggest rising screen time, declining sleep duration, and growing emotional dependence on digital platforms among adolescents. Class 10 and 12 represent not just academic milestones but developmental turning points and adolescence (between 10 and 19 years) is a sensitive phase marked by emotional intensity, identity formation, and heightened responsiveness to peer influence. During these years, students in Manipur experience academic pressure, parental expectations, and career-related anxiety. At the same time, they are neurologically more vulnerable to reward-seeking be- haviors. The easy accessibility of smartphones during this stage can significantly influence discipline, focus, and emotional stability. Thus, mobile use during exams must be understood within this psychological context.
Excessive mobile phone use directly interferes with academic routines. Students often attempt to study while simultaneously engaging with distractions from notifications, messages, or social media scrolling. Additionally, late-night screen exposure disrupts sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and reduced classroom performance. Over time, pro- crastination becomes habitual, and students may rely on last-minute preparation, increasing exam- related stress.
Apart from academics, excessive smartphone use can affect adolescents’ emotions and thinking abilities. Many teenagers become irritable or upset when their phone access is limited. Mood swings, changing behaviour patterns, and restlessness are commonly seen. Constant exposure to fast and engaging digital content can reduce their patience, making it harder to focus on slow tasks like reading long chapters or solving difficult problems. Over time, attention span may decrease, and sustaining concentration becomes challenging.
Emotionally, adolescents may also become more dependent on peer approval and online comparisons which can be a contributing factor for body-image issues that affects their self-confidence.
Social media platforms are intentionally designed to keep users engaged through notifications, likes, and comments. For adolescents, these features act as rewards that activate the brain’s pleasure system. Each notification creates a sense of excitement, making it difficult to disengage. Short videos and rapid scrolling train the brain to expect instant gratification, reducing tolerance for delayed rewards—such as the gradual progress required in academic preparation. Over time, this cycle strengthens habitual phone-checking behavior and further impacts emotional balance and cognitive focus.
Many students use their phones as a way to cope with academic stress. However, this can create a harmful cycle. When they feel stressed about unfinished syllabus, they turn to social media for temporary relief. This leads to wasted time, which increases feelings of guilt and anxiety. As anxiety grows, concentration decreases, and students again seek comfort in their phones. Over time, this pattern reduces self-confidence and increases fear of exams.
As of December 10, 2025 Australia has implemented a world first ban on social media for children under 16 to protect them from mental health risks and harmful content in platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Kick, Twitch, Tik Tok, Reddit and YouTube. Such policy-level decisions raise important questions for India and states like Manipur. Should age-based regulation be considered to protect adolescents. These questions invite serious reflection on balancing technological access with adolescent mental health.
Mobile phones are not the enemy; rather, it is their misuse that creates problems. Technology has enabled online learning, access to educational resour- ces, and global connectivity, which are especially valuable in regions like Manipur that have faced pandemic disruptions and prolonged conflict. However, when used without clear boundaries, smartphones can gradually begin to control attention and behavior. In Manipur, students preparing for Class 10 and 12 board examinations often face intense expectations regarding academic performance and future career paths. With increasing smartphone use in urban and semi-urban areas, digital engagement has become deeply embedded in adolescent life, yet structured digital awareness programs remain limited. In such a competitive academic environment, exce- ssive mobile phone use may silently weaken preparation, discipline, and emotional stability among board students.
Parents and teachers should therefore remain attentive to early warning signs such as, declining academic performance, late- night phone use, increased irritability and aggression, reduced interest in offline activities, and frequent distraction during study time. Misuse of mobile phones in adolescents causes severe, negative effects, including mental health issues (anxiety, depression), stress, chronic sleep disturbance, reduced academic performance, and social isolation, lower self-esteem, and suicidal ideation, reduced attention span, memory issues, poor concentration, and lower academic performance, poor sleep quality due to screen time before bed, leading to fatigue, along with obesity from sedentary lifestyles, increased risk of cyber-bullying, and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Smartphone addiction decreases bonding to their family, close friends, and relatives despite the benefits of having more communication and interaction links.
Class 10 and 12 appearing students in Manipur face intense academic pressure, parental expectations, and concerns about their future. During such stress, many adolescents turn to their smartphones for temporary relief. What begins as short breaks to relax may gradually turn into excessive use. Phones become a way to escape anxiety and fear of failure.
However, this avoidance increases lost study time, guilt, and further stress, creating a cycle that weakens discipline, focus, and exam preparation. Early identification of these behaviours is crucial. If overlooked, these patterns may become addicted habits that not only affect examination outcomes but also shape long- term academic attitudes and self-discipline. Addressing this issue locally requires collaborative community awareness, and proactive guidance rather than blame.
The solution is not complete prohibition but structured digital discipline. Students can be encouraged to establish fixed study hours without phones, restrict screen use before bedtime like “no phone” rule one hour before sleep, parental modelling on disciplined phone use and time- management, focussing more on offline activities like sports, hobbies, cultural activities and community par-ticipations can provide healthier alternatives. School awareness programmes like workshops on digital well-being, sessions on time-management and psychological counselling support during board exam would be more effective.
Further Questions arises here:
If Australia has restricted social media access for children under 16, should India consider similar age-based regulation?
In Manipur where Class 10 & 12 appearing students are already under pressure, does excessive smartphone use further burden students psychologically ?
Should Community level awareness campaigns be introduced before legal restrictions are considered ?
How can schools in Manipur integrate digital literacy into their curriculum?
For Class 10 and 12 students in Manipur, the goal should not be elimination of digital tools, but disciplined and purposeful use. As Manipur continues to grow digitally, it must also grow psychologically. Academic success in Class 10 and 12 requires more than intelligence — it demands focus, emotional balance, and disciplined habits.
Mobile phone addiction among adolescents is not merely a personal issue; it is an emerging academic and social concern. By creating awareness at family, school, and community levels, we can help our students build healthier digital habits and stronger academic futures.
The responsibility lies not only with the students, but with all of us.
Across India, mobile phone usage among adolescents has increased drama- tically in the last decade. As per report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) 2025, among young adults (15–29 years), nearly 97.6% in urban areas and 95.5% in rural areas own smartphones and according to the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2021 report, Manipur saw a massive increase in smartphone access, jumping from 53.4% in 2018 to 92.9% in 2021.
COVID-19 expedited the adoption of internet, internet traffic in India increased by 30% during the first six months of the pandemic, Indians using the internet for education increased by 50%. In Manipur, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the State has also been experiencing ongoing conflict and turmoil for the past two years. During this period, the reliance on the internet and mobile phones among students significantly increased, particularly for attending online classes.
National surveys and mental health observations increasingly point toward problematic screen use among teenagers, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic normalized online learning and prolonged screen exposure. While smartphones serve educational and communicative purposes, excessive and uncontrolled use is being recognized as a behavioral concern. Reports suggest rising screen time, declining sleep duration, and growing emotional dependence on digital platforms among adolescents. Class 10 and 12 represent not just academic milestones but developmental turning points and adolescence (between 10 and 19 years) is a sensitive phase marked by emotional intensity, identity formation, and heightened responsiveness to peer influence. During these years, students in Manipur experience academic pressure, parental expectations, and career-related anxiety. At the same time, they are neurologically more vulnerable to reward-seeking be- haviors. The easy accessibility of smartphones during this stage can significantly influence discipline, focus, and emotional stability. Thus, mobile use during exams must be understood within this psychological context.
Excessive mobile phone use directly interferes with academic routines. Students often attempt to study while simultaneously engaging with distractions from notifications, messages, or social media scrolling. Additionally, late-night screen exposure disrupts sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and reduced classroom performance. Over time, pro- crastination becomes habitual, and students may rely on last-minute preparation, increasing exam- related stress.
Apart from academics, excessive smartphone use can affect adolescents’ emotions and thinking abilities. Many teenagers become irritable or upset when their phone access is limited. Mood swings, changing behaviour patterns, and restlessness are commonly seen. Constant exposure to fast and engaging digital content can reduce their patience, making it harder to focus on slow tasks like reading long chapters or solving difficult problems. Over time, attention span may decrease, and sustaining concentration becomes challenging.
Emotionally, adolescents may also become more dependent on peer approval and online comparisons which can be a contributing factor for body-image issues that affects their self-confidence.
Social media platforms are intentionally designed to keep users engaged through notifications, likes, and comments. For adolescents, these features act as rewards that activate the brain’s pleasure system. Each notification creates a sense of excitement, making it difficult to disengage. Short videos and rapid scrolling train the brain to expect instant gratification, reducing tolerance for delayed rewards—such as the gradual progress required in academic preparation. Over time, this cycle strengthens habitual phone-checking behavior and further impacts emotional balance and cognitive focus.
Many students use their phones as a way to cope with academic stress. However, this can create a harmful cycle. When they feel stressed about unfinished syllabus, they turn to social media for temporary relief. This leads to wasted time, which increases feelings of guilt and anxiety. As anxiety grows, concentration decreases, and students again seek comfort in their phones. Over time, this pattern reduces self-confidence and increases fear of exams.
As of December 10, 2025 Australia has implemented a world first ban on social media for children under 16 to protect them from mental health risks and harmful content in platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Kick, Twitch, Tik Tok, Reddit and YouTube. Such policy-level decisions raise important questions for India and states like Manipur. Should age-based regulation be considered to protect adolescents. These questions invite serious reflection on balancing technological access with adolescent mental health.
Mobile phones are not the enemy; rather, it is their misuse that creates problems. Technology has enabled online learning, access to educational resour- ces, and global connectivity, which are especially valuable in regions like Manipur that have faced pandemic disruptions and prolonged conflict. However, when used without clear boundaries, smartphones can gradually begin to control attention and behavior. In Manipur, students preparing for Class 10 and 12 board examinations often face intense expectations regarding academic performance and future career paths. With increasing smartphone use in urban and semi-urban areas, digital engagement has become deeply embedded in adolescent life, yet structured digital awareness programs remain limited. In such a competitive academic environment, exce- ssive mobile phone use may silently weaken preparation, discipline, and emotional stability among board students.
Parents and teachers should therefore remain attentive to early warning signs such as, declining academic performance, late- night phone use, increased irritability and aggression, reduced interest in offline activities, and frequent distraction during study time. Misuse of mobile phones in adolescents causes severe, negative effects, including mental health issues (anxiety, depression), stress, chronic sleep disturbance, reduced academic performance, and social isolation, lower self-esteem, and suicidal ideation, reduced attention span, memory issues, poor concentration, and lower academic performance, poor sleep quality due to screen time before bed, leading to fatigue, along with obesity from sedentary lifestyles, increased risk of cyber-bullying, and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Smartphone addiction decreases bonding to their family, close friends, and relatives despite the benefits of having more communication and interaction links.
Class 10 and 12 appearing students in Manipur face intense academic pressure, parental expectations, and concerns about their future. During such stress, many adolescents turn to their smartphones for temporary relief. What begins as short breaks to relax may gradually turn into excessive use. Phones become a way to escape anxiety and fear of failure.
However, this avoidance increases lost study time, guilt, and further stress, creating a cycle that weakens discipline, focus, and exam preparation. Early identification of these behaviours is crucial. If overlooked, these patterns may become addicted habits that not only affect examination outcomes but also shape long- term academic attitudes and self-discipline. Addressing this issue locally requires collaborative community awareness, and proactive guidance rather than blame.
The solution is not complete prohibition but structured digital discipline. Students can be encouraged to establish fixed study hours without phones, restrict screen use before bedtime like “no phone” rule one hour before sleep, parental modelling on disciplined phone use and time- management, focussing more on offline activities like sports, hobbies, cultural activities and community par-ticipations can provide healthier alternatives. School awareness programmes like workshops on digital well-being, sessions on time-management and psychological counselling support during board exam would be more effective.
Further Questions arises here:
If Australia has restricted social media access for children under 16, should India consider similar age-based regulation?
In Manipur where Class 10 & 12 appearing students are already under pressure, does excessive smartphone use further burden students psychologically ?
Should Community level awareness campaigns be introduced before legal restrictions are considered ?
How can schools in Manipur integrate digital literacy into their curriculum?
For Class 10 and 12 students in Manipur, the goal should not be elimination of digital tools, but disciplined and purposeful use. As Manipur continues to grow digitally, it must also grow psychologically. Academic success in Class 10 and 12 requires more than intelligence — it demands focus, emotional balance, and disciplined habits.
Mobile phone addiction among adolescents is not merely a personal issue; it is an emerging academic and social concern. By creating awareness at family, school, and community levels, we can help our students build healthier digital habits and stronger academic futures.
The responsibility lies not only with the students, but with all of us.