Raising Digitally Responsible Adolescents

Marked by growing concerns over adolescent screen usage, an online workshop on ‘Managing Mobile Dependency in Adolescents’ was organised by PeakMind on Saturday, 20 December 2025, under the tagline ‘Raising Digitally Responsible Adolescents’. The session was led by Ms. Ekta Jain, who sensitised parents and educators to the impact of excessive mobile use during adolescence, a high-risk developmental phase. The resource person introduced the 4 C’s of identification—craving for the phone, compulsive checking, loss of control, and negative consequences on behaviour and well-being—to help recognise signs of mobile addiction. The workshop stressed the need for parental self-reflection, highlighting that resistance often stems from adults’ own screen habits. It also explored vulnerability factors such as emotional regulation difficulties, the need for social validation, fear of missing out (FOMO), and escapism. Practical strategies including connection before correction, creating a digital contract with children, and prioritising skill-building over screen blocking were shared. The session concluded by redefining success as reduced emotional dependence on screens, improved sleep patterns, enhanced classroom engagement, and healthier parent–child relationships, making it a highly relevant and impactful discussion in today’s digital age.