KGMU to set up special internet de-addiction clinics in Lucknow

Who doesn’t love the internet? It’s a great and weird place filled with all sorts of monstrosities to quell your imagination. You think it, the internet has it. For adolescents, however, the internet can be a dangerous place and many get addicted to it, spending hours on social media websites. Keeping this in mind, King George Medical University in Lucknow is setting up special clinics to provide counselling to youngsters addicted to social media platforms and the internet.

Through these clinics, the aim is to counsel youngsters into giving only a part of their day to social media and other sites on the internet. Their goal is to not let young adults be consumed by the wasteful activities and trends that are prevalent on social media. They also alluded adverse effects on studies and children's general irritability to social media.

Additionally, excessive social media use also takes a toll on student’s concentration and attention spans. They went on to say that if parents tell them to refrain from using mobile phones, they become stubborn, and hide it from their parents, which is a problem in itself.

The first of a kind internet de-addiction center was first set up in Bengaluru, in 2014. Since it has proved useful and has reaped good results, KGMU has taken a leaf out of NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) book to set up a similar one in Lucknow. As of now, the counselling centers will begin in a few schools and colleges of the city, following which, they may expand to more educational and non educational institutions across the city.