Teen Kills Himself After Parents Take Away His Phone Over Game Addiction

A teen killed himself after his parents took away his phone for spending too much time on it. The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.

Police said the victim, identified as 15-year-old Lohit, a grade 10 student, was addicted to PUBG, a popular mobile game. On Wednesday, his parents rebuked him over his addiction following which he took the extreme step. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to injuries. His body was sent for autopsy.

"He was the couple's only son. The child got addicted to PUBG. His parents chided him for always being glued to the phone and asked him to concentrate on his studies. When they took away his cell phone, the teen was so upset that he killed himself," a police officer said.

"Younger children have gotten addicted to this game. We are giving phones to our young children, but we are not observing what they are doing with the device," the officer added.

The incident comes less than a week after a man killed his father for stopping him from using his phone as he was addicted to the game. The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Sources said 61-year-old Shankar Devappa Kumbhar and his son, 25-year-old Raghuveer Kumbhar, got into an argument after the former refused to give his son money. Following the argument, Raghuveer broke the window panes of a neighbor’s home. Police arrived at the scene and took him into custody following complaints from his neighbors. Shankar then managed to get his son back home from the police station.

The following morning, Shankar woke up to find his son playing the game. Irked, Shankar snatched away his phone. This angered Raghuveer who then beheaded Shankar with a sickle before slashing his hands and legs.