13-year-old ‘dies by suicide’ after mother asks him to stop playing games on phone

A 13-year-old boy in Surat's Rander town tragically died by suicide on Monday evening after his mother admonished him for playing games on his phone while dinner was being served. According to police, the boy was engrossed in a game on his phone when he was reprimanded by his mother. Their mother then stepped out of the house to visit neighbors in the apartment building, leaving her son and his older sister to have dinner together.

When the mother returned 20 minutes later, she found her son hanging from a common staircase railing using his mother's dupatta. Rander police inspector T B Pandya suggested that the boy may have felt hurt by his mother's scolding. The boy was immediately taken to a nearby clinic, where he was pronounced dead. His body was subsequently sent to the New Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The boy's maternal uncle stated that their mother had scolded both children that evening. This incident follows a similar case last month where a 13-year-old boy allegedly took his own life after his parents asked him to put aside his phone and do his homework. Child psychiatrist Dr. Mukul Choksi advised parents to monitor and control their children's time spent on phones and the type of games they play.