Mumbai,February 5: Social media has a significant impact on children, shaping their behaviour, emotions, and mental well-being at a young age. Constant screen time can reduce real-life interaction, weaken family communication, and affect concentration and emotional development.
After three minor sisters died after jumping off the 9th floor of their residential building in Ghaziabad during the late hours of Tuesday, actor Sonu Sood expressed concern over online gaming addiction and excessive social media use among children, urging parents and authorities to impose strict restrictions on minors' access to digital platforms.
Reacting to the incident, Sood shared a video message on Instagram, saying that children today face immense, unseen pressure from constant exposure to online gaming and social media, while lacking emotional support and meaningful interaction at home.
".... three children lost their lives in Ghaziabad. These children were not defeated, they were left alone. In the world of online and social media, we have left our children so far that we cannot hear their silence," the actor said.
Reiterating his earlier stance, Sood said that children under the age of 16 should be kept away from social media and online gaming, except for educational purposes. He added that while technology is essential for education, unrestricted access can put young lives at risk.
"Some time ago, I said that we have to keep children under 16 years of age away from the world of online and social media. But we get so busy in our lives that we forget that there is another member of our family who is our mobile phone, our social media, with whom the children want to spend more time than us," he said, calling for stronger parental involvement and emotional support.
"If we want their lives, our lives, their future, the future of our country to be better, then it is necessary to put a ban. You think that they do not need a screen, they need our support. Children do not need a mobile, they need our presence, they do not need scolding, they need our conversation," said the 'Dabangg' actor.
Parents, often due to busy lifestyles, unintentionally replace their own time and attention with mobile phones for their children. Giving a phone becomes an easy way to keep children occupied, but it gradually reduces real interaction, conversation, and emotional bonding within the family.
Sood acknowledged that technology is important for education, but he also warned that uncontrolled use, especially access to social media and online gaming, can harm children's mental and emotional well-being.
"But we do not have time for them either. Because we have given them a mobile phone with social media so that they can keep reading, keep watching. Technology is necessary for education, but it does not mean that we are putting the lives of our children at risk for that technology," he noted.
The ace star stressed that young children should use phones strictly for learning purposes, not for social media, and calls for collective action to limit digital exposure so children grow up with family support and human connection rather than screens and virtual platforms.
"There should be a mobile phone for education, but not for social media, especially for children of a young age. Let's try together today to remove that member who is dividing our family. Before that, let's make a law together so that our children can live with us, not with social media, not with online gaming," he said.
Sonu Sood wrote in the caption, "Social media can wait. Childhood can't"
According to the preliminary information by the Ghaziabad police, the minors used to play an online task-based game.
The tragic incident took place at around 2:15 am last night under Tila Mod Police Limits in the Loni area. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Atul Kumar Singh, stated that the deceased minor girls have been identified as Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The ACP further stated that the minors were immediately taken to a 50-bed hospital, where they were declared dead.
After the incident, Sood wrote on X, "Three young girls lost their lives in Ghaziabad today. Not to violence. Not to poverty. But to the unseen pressure of online gaming and digital addiction. I've raised my voice before, and I'll say it again. Social media and online gaming must be restricted for children under 16, except for education. Childhood needs guidance, not algorithms. Care, not constant screens. This isn't about blame. It's about protection, before it's too late. Let this not become another headline we forget. It's time to act."
Nimish Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Trans-Hindon, on Thursday, stated that the three minor girls who died in Ghaziabad, after jumping off the 9th floor of their residential building, were clearly influenced by Korean culture.
DCP Patil stated that the police have found a suicide note at the residence, which clarified that they were influenced by Korean culture. However, no specific name of any game application was mentioned in the note.
"In the early hours of 4th February, we received information that three girls jumped from a building. They were declared dead at the hospital. We have found a suicide note in the case. From the suicide note, it is clear that the three girls were influenced by Korean culture. No particular app was named. At the time of the incident, the whole family was present in the house, but they were sleeping..." he said.
An eyewitness, Arun Kumar, told ANI that he saw the girls jump off from the building, and it seemed like one of them planned the jump while the others were trying to save her.
"I saw all three of them jumping. It was so sudden, it occurred before I could have done anything or called anyone. They were sitting on the balcony glass... It was abnormal. It happened at around 2 AM... From what I saw, one of them planned to jump, and the others fell while trying to save her. I called the police and the ambulance..." he said.
As per Sonu Sood, without proper guidance and boundaries, social media can overwhelm children who are still developing the ability to process stress and emotions. Balanced use, parental involvement, and age-appropriate restrictions are essential to protect children's mental and emotional health.
