Four people along with two minors were arrested for extorting cash and jewellery of almost 41 lakh from a Class 10 student. Police have recovered 302 grams of gold and ₹23.5 lakh from the accused on Wednesday.
The police reported the minors were classmates of the victim. According to the police inspector Markandeya ST of Nagar, the extortion started last year around October after the two classmates got to know about the victim’s addiction. The boy who studies in a private school in Bengaluru reported the extortioners threatened him not to inform his parents about his addiction to online gaming such as Dream-11 and PUBG.
Read More: Gaming Addiction : Symptoms, Effects and Treatment
The officers started investigating the case after the victim’s father who is a real estate businessman from Rajarajeshwari Nagar filed a complaint. The student confirmed his classmates started to blackmail him and that they would inform his parents about his addiction. In fear of blackmail, the student stole gold jewellery from his own house and gave it to his classmates. This continued for over six months. After the victim’s mother noticed some of her jewellery was missing, the family filed a police complaint.
Several countries have already banned unsupervised online gaming among children and young adults as the addiction made parents, health experts and policymakers worried about future generations. China made age verification mandatory and also set an age limit. In India, there are no such rules so children and young adults often get involved in crime due to game addiction. Commissioner B Dayanand also highlighted the importance of parental monitoring to prevent this.
To prevent their children from becoming victims of gaming addiction, parents are extremely important. These are a few tactics they can use:
1. Create Clearly Defined Boundaries – Try your best to enforce time restrictions on your children’s gaming sessions. Make an effort to convey to your children that playing video games is a privilege rather than a right and shouldn’t get in the way of social activities, household duties, or academic work.
2. Provide Room for Communication – Create a welcoming, judgment-free atmosphere where kids feel at ease. Assure them that they will not hesitate to share their stories, worries, or any peer pressure they may be feeling.3. Teach About Risks: Inform your kids about the negative effects of excessive gaming, such as academic difficulties, addiction, and social isolation. Instruct them on the value of a variety of pursuits and what constitutes a reasonable amount of screen usage.
3. Lead by Example – Set a good example for others. Set a screen time limit for yourself and your family and spend time on offline activities.
4. Keep an eye on Activity – Exercise parental supervision over your kids’ gaming habits, preserve their gaming history, and take other precautions. Keep an eye out for symptoms of excessive gaming addiction, such as ignoring obligations or cutting out on other hobbies.
5. Promote Alternatives – Encourage your kids to experiment with different interests and pastimes than video games. Give people the chance to engage in artistic endeavours, physical exercise, and social connections with friends and family.
6. Seek Professional Help if Needed – Don’t be afraid to get professional assistance from a therapist or counsellor if you recognize symptoms of gaming addiction or if your child is having trouble reining in their gaming habits.
