In January 2019, an eleven-year-old kid Ahad Nizam wrote a letter several local Maharashtra and central government ministers to take measure to ban the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, which affecting several young school going-children and college youths, as most of them are addicted to the battle royale game and neglecting studies. But, nobody responded positively to Nizam. Undeterred, he took upon the matter himself, earlier this month, and approached Bombay High Court seeking to prohibit the PUBG Mobile gaming app on mobiles in India.
Now, Bombay High Court chaired by Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamdar have asked both the Maharashtra and Indian governments to respond to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Nizam against PUBG Mobile.
In the PIL, Nizam's lawyer points out that PUBG Mobile promotes violence and unethical behaviour, which over a long time of overexposure might affect the mental health of young adults.
The advocate also requested the court to direct the union government to form an Online Ethics Review Committee for periodical checking of such violence-oriented online content.
Already, several people, particularly in metros are seeking rehabilitation from PUBG Mobile addiction. Recently, a report from Malaysia revealed that a married man deserted his pregnant woman and his son over this nasty online game.
It can be noted that Gujarat government has already enforced a ban on PUBG Mobile at all primary schools in the state. Even J&K student body and doctor association are also seeking similar action from the governor after the recently announced board exam results showed poor performance by students due to distraction caused by the battle royale game.
In a related development, another addictive smartphone app Tik Tok has come under scanner in India. The Tamil Nadu government is contemplating a ban Tik Tok for spreading vulgarity and ruining traditional culture.
