The sixth grader from Arya Vidya Mandir has appealed to positions of power in the state and central government, calling for a ban in the game.
The rising voice demanding a ban on Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has found a rather young ambassador: 11-year-old Ahad Nizam from Bandra.
The sixth grader from Arya Vidya Mandir has appealed to positions of power in the state and central government, calling for a ban in the game.
In a letter dated January 25, Ahad said the game has violence, abusive words and is inappropriate for children. While there has been no reply yet to Ahad's letter, his advocate parents plan to file a PIL soon.
1. Felt low and negative: Ahad
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Ahad discovered the game at a family function and found it to be replete with cyberbullying and aggression. “After playing for a few days, I began to feel low and negative, so I stopped. This is why I have appealed to the government,” he said.
With a little help from his mother Mariam, Ahad wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Home Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the Medical Council of India, city police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd and Changhan Kim, of The PUB-G Corporation. His missive cites studies that prove the adverse effects of exposure to violence in early childhood.
2. Gives a false sense of power: Dr Seema Hingorani
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The Nizam family has received support from many quarters. “The game increases aggression which gives children a false sense of power,” said child psychologist Dr Seema Hingorani. “Some parents have noted increased aggression and snapping back at them from their wards. One of the parents told me her son refused to eat food or do his homework when she took away his phone to stop him from playing PUB-G. It impacts academic performance too.”
“Schools should organize cybersafety workshops for children to inform them about the negative impacts of such games, ” said Arundhati Chavan, president of United Forum, a parent teachers association.
3. What's the game?
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In the game, up to a hundred players parachute on an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others to avoid being killed. The game promotes immoral conduct such as violence, murder, aggression, gaming addiction, looting and cyberbullying, which is not good for children, said the letter.
“An awareness needs to be created in schools, among parents as well as children about this game,” said Ahad's mother, adding, “Our politicians are focusing on pre-poll alliances while the real need of the hour is to focus on the true future of the nation that is our children. I hope this changes.”
4. PM Modi weighs in
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At "Pariksha pe Charcha 2.0" where PM fielded questions from students, teachers and parents, Madhumita Sen Gupta, a mother, asked the prime minister, "My son is a student of class 9. He was very good in his studies and teachers praised him but now for some time he is too much inclined towards online gaming which is affecting his studies. I have tried to explain it to him how it is harming him but I have been unsuccessful.
Please advise on how I should deal with this." In response, Modi said, "Ye PUBG wala hai kya (Is this PUBG?)" His PUBG reference made the stadium erupt into laughter. When the noise and cheers died down, the prime minister said, "This is a problem and also the solution. If we want that our children should stay away from technology, this is taking them back in time. We should encourage him about technology."
