Just the other day, a distraught parent came into my office looking for a rehab centre for their teen. The crisis was not substance abuse but smartphone addiction.
The situation has reached a level where the child experiences a great deal of anxiety and panic at the prospect of sitting in an examination hall for two to three hours without a digital device.
In my over 10 years of professional experience in policy implementation and public safety, I often talk to parents who are very concerned about their children’s behaviour. This is a growing and disturbing trend that is becoming more and more visible in Bangladesh.
Many parents come to drug rehabilitation centres for help with their children, but the root problem is excessive and uncontrolled dependency on mobile phones, online games, or digital platforms.
When the device is taken away, these children become restless, aggressive, engage in serious conflicts with family members, or display severe signs of emotional distress.
When families can’t handle it, they desperately turn to rehab centres as a last option.
The institutional gap
There is, however, a big, structural limitation. The existing regulatory framework strictly authorizes and designs the drug rehabilitation centres in Bangladesh to treat substance use disorders (chemical addictions) of the people.
The current policies and operation manuals do not permit children with behavioral or internet addictions to enter these facilities.
This leaves parents helpless and with no formal or professional solution at hand.
We are left with a pressing question: If the problem is real, shouldn’t our institutional solutions be just as real?
From practice to policy
Digital technology has become an unavoidable, necessary part of modern life. Its contribution to education, communication, and skill development is unquestionable.
Mobile phones should never be banned and technology should not be seen as the enemy. The aim should rather be to make sure it is used in a healthy, controlled, and responsible way.
However, overuse has now created a new form of behavioral addiction in our society. Screen addiction is causing many children to lose focus on studies, withdraw from social interactions, experience sleep disturbances, and show less interest in real life responsibilities.
Many developed nations, South Korea among them, recognized this crisis early on. They created state-funded digital detox camps and tailor-made behavioral rehab centres, addressing tech-dependency not as a failure of parents, but as a burgeoning public health issue, with psychologists, counsellors, and families working through integrated systems.
Growing our framework
In my decade plus experience in high-stakes field operations, I’ve learned that systemic crises require proactive policy shifts. There is an urgent need for Bangladesh to launch a structured multi-sector policy dialogue on this subject.
We need a broader framework of prevention and rehabilitation. This can be achieved by:
The child of today, who cannot stay away from a mobile phone for even a few hours, asks an important question about their mental health, educational capacity, and social development. This is no longer a problem for the future; it is a fact of life in our society today.
It is time to see digital addiction not only as a private family issue but also a serious public health and policy issue that requires urgent institutional action.
As we move into a digital-first world, how do we close this institutional gap to protect our next generation?
Urme Dey is Deputy Director (Dhaka District), Department of narcotics control-DNC.