This Maharashtra village has banned smartphones for kids under 18 years: Rs 200 fine for a violation

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.