In a deeply saddening series of incidents, two young boys from different cities in India died by suicide raising serious concerns about what children are exposed to online and how it may affect their mental health. Both cases happened on August 3, the same day and are now under investigation.
Bengaluru Boy and the ‘Death Note’ Link
In Bengaluru’s CK Acchukattu area, a Class 7 student died by suicide at night of August 3. The boy who was around 12 or 13 years old was reportedly a big fan of the Japanese web series ‘Death Note’. This series tells the story of a high school student who discovers a magical notebook that allows him to kill anyone just by writing their name in it. The show follows his journey as he uses the notebook to punish people he considers criminals and the attempts of the police to catch him.
During their investigation, police found that the boy had drawn a character from the show on the wall of his room. This small but shocking clue led the police to look more closely at whether the series may have had an influence on his mindset.
His parents told the authorities that he was not facing any problems, either at school or at home. They said that he seemed fine and had not shown any major signs of distress. The sudden nature of the incident has left the family devastated and without clear answers.
To better understand what happened, the police have seized the boy’s mobile phone and sent it for forensic analysis. They are checking his recent online activity about what he was watching, reading or browsing in order to find out if something influenced him or pushed him toward this extreme step.
Similar Case in Delhi: Young Child Addicted to Mobile Games
On the same day of August 3, a similar tragedy unfolded in Delhi’s Ambika Vihar Colony. A 10-year-old boy was found dead at his house. According to the police, he had been addicted to mobile games and spent hours watching YouTube videos.
The incident actually happened on July 31. Heavy rainfall kept the child home from school that day. His parents, who were unaware of what was coming, left for work in the morning. When they returned in the evening, they found their son hanging from an iron pipe using a dupatta.
Police examined the mobile phone found at the scene. The screen-time data shocked them. It showed that the boy had spent about 10 to 11 hours on the phone that day, mentioning that 7 hours were spent playing a mobile game, while around 4 hours went into watching YouTube videos.
The boy’s father confirmed that he had been using the phone for long hours in recent weeks. He believes this screen addiction may have affected his son’s mental state.
Both cases have put a spotlight on a worrying trend: children spending too much time on mobile phones, and being exposed to violent or disturbing content without proper guidance. Experts have long warned about the harmful effects of media violence, internet addiction and lack of parental supervision especially on young, impressionable minds.
