Addicted to reels, Gujarat student breaks hand to skip exams

How addictive can watching reels on the mobile get? A nursing student in Ahmedabad was so hooked to it that to avoid writing exams and watch reels, she repeatedly whacked her right hand until it got fractured.

Every day she compulsively spent an average 12 hours watching the short video formats .

So shaken was she by the violent self-harm that she later called up Tele MANAS (14416) mental health helpline , a central govt project, and reported herself to seek help. Details of her addiction left even the seasoned counsellors there shocked. As per Tele MANAS experts, post-Covid pandemic, the overall screen time has significantly spiked.

“The aspiring nurse confessed she started watching reels about six months ago when she felt lonely and bored...,” a Tele MANAS counsellor said. After four months of extensive counselling, the nursing student recently wrote her term exams,” her counsellor said.