Smartphone addiction leads to suicide of Plus One student

The deceased had been addicted to the music videos of K-Pop bands: Police

Smartphone addiction is suspected to have led to the suicide of a Plus One student who was found dead in her house near Navaikulam on Saturday.

Jeevamohan J.S., 16, of Vettiyara was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her bedroom around 1 p.m. The body was found after some neighbours broke a window pane on being alerted by her family. They sensed something amiss when she did not respond to her younger sister’s calls for lunch.

Soon, they broke open the door that was locked from within to retrieve the body and rush her to a hospital where she was declared dead. The police recovered a three-page suicide note from the room.

According to Kallambalam station house officer Faroz I., the deceased grew increasingly addicted to smartphones in recent times. The online classes that were conducted during the COVID-19-induced lockdown enabled her easy access to the mobile phone.

“During the period, she grew fond of the music videos of popular Korean bands that she used to regularly watch on YouTube. In her suicide letter, she claimed to have found it difficult to withdraw from her addiction,” the officer said, adding that Jeevamohan also advised her mother to prevent her sister from suffering a similar fate.

Her declining academic performance is believed to have prompted her to take the extreme step. A student of SKV High School in Kadampattukonam, Jeevamohan had cleared the SSLC examinations with flying colours after securing A+ grade in all subjects. She was, however, demoralised after faring poorly in a recent class test.

The police have found nothing to suggest an active involvement on social networking platforms. The deceased had also not been keen on mobile gaming.

Jeevamohan is survived by her mother and her sister. Her father had died four years ago.

(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471 – 2552056)