- A village in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district has banned children and teenagers under 18 from using cell phones.
- If found to violate the injunction, the youngsters will have to pay a fine of Rs 200.
- According to the authorities, the reason behind this move is teenagers’ addiction to mobile usage.
Bansi, a village in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district in the west Vidarbha region, has prohibited mobile phone use among children and teens under 18. The authorities are claiming smartphone addiction is the reason behind this move. According to village council members, the order was accepted “unanimously” during a Gram Sabha on November 11th. The minors will have to pay a fine of Rs 200 if found negligent of the order.
Gajanan Tale, Sarpanch of Bansi Gram Panchayat, opined that children had become addicted to phones during COVID-19 for playing games, watching videos, or surfing websites, and he thinks the phones are unsuitable for their age.
“We know that there will be difficulties in implementation. But we will remove these problems through counselling. Penalties will have to be levied on them for violation of the decision. But the villagers have unanimously supported this decision. Initially, we will counsel them, and if we fail to reach our goal, we will impose a penalty of Rs 200.“
It’s unclear whether youngsters had a vote in this decision, though the officials welcomed the restriction. Parents also supported the order as it would allow them to keep an eye on their children.
Besides this, a village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district implemented a daily “digital detox” earlier this year. It would encourage students to study and adults to meet with community members or engage in activities such as reading. As per reports, every night at 7 PM, a siren goes off to signal the start of a 1.5-hour detox in Mohityanche Vadgaon, during which locals put their smartphones away.
