One Of Its Kind! Kerala Police Creates Digital De-Addiction Centre To Combat Compulsive Internet Usage

Kerala Police has created a digital de-addiction centre called D-Dad to combat children's compulsive internet usage. "D-Dad will have dedicated centres equipped with cutting-edge services to ensure psychological support for such children," stated Manoj Abraham, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), on Wednesday, March 23, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The D- Dad initiative was announced last year, but the government approved it on Wednesday. The initiative will be retained and executed by psychologists, counsellors, and children's toolkits, as they will emphasise interactive education, device-free retreats, and scientifically proven distraction techniques.

What Is D-Dad Initiative?

Manoj Abraham stated that the centre is the country's first of its kind and added, "Extensive research will be carried out after studying separate cases for effective intervention," as per the publication.

P-Hunt, Abraham's anti-child pornography programme, was also launched. He stated that four centres would be opened in the state at first, with 126 child-friendly police stations, and over Over 250 detentions were executed by Kerala Police in the last two years under the P-Hunt, ADGP revealed.

Internet Usage Around Globe

In India and around the world, internet usage has increased significantly over the last decade. India had 624 million internet users in January 2021, an increase of over 8% over the previous year.

According to a UNICEF report, one out of every three people on the internet is a child. Yet the exact figures are not defined. Approximately 7% of Facebook users are between 13 and 17. According to a study on internet addiction among Indian teenagers, 47 per cent have "moderate" internet addiction, while 24 per cent have "high" internet addiction.

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