Ahmedabad: A 13-year-old boy tried to jump from the balcony of his apartment recently after he was denied a mobile phone to play an online role-playing game. The teen, who wanted to be a YouTube gamer with online streaming to earn name, fame, and money, also allegedly stole a phone and Rs 1,000 from his mother’s bank account through an online payment.After the teen’s suicide attempt, his mother called Abhayam 181 women helpline for intervention.“The woman who called us said that she works as a saree salesperson and her husband is a security guard. They have three children, of which this teen, a Class 9 student, is the middle child. While checking the bank balance, she was surprised to see a transaction of Rs 1,000 to a phone repair shop. She immediately knew that it was her son as he was heavily into gaming and was forbidden from using the phone,” said a counsellor.
She was surprised when she spotted the teen with a phone that was kept in a safe after the phone conked off some time back. The teen confessed that he needed the phone for playing an online game where he scored big. He transferred Rs 1,000 from his mother’s account and added Rs 500 from his savings to get the phone repaired.“The teen said that after excelling in the game, he wanted to go live on social media to earn money and name.
He added that he was playing various games for the past five years and was confident that he could turn into a professional player. After the phone got repaired, he missed several days at school to play the game,” said a counsellor.When his mother scolded him for it and confiscated the phone again, the teen threatened to jump from their balcony. Other family members rushed to his help, after which the mother called the helpline.“The teen and the mother were counselled. The teen was asked to focus on studies and restrict gaming time even if he wanted to continue it as a recreational sport. He should also explore other avenues for recreation and should not spend excessive time with screens,” said the counsellor.
