Sri Lanka, July 6 -- In homes across Sri Lanka, a quiet tragedy unfolds daily. Children once filled with curiosity and play now sit glued to screens, their laughter replaced by the glow of notifications and endless scrolls. What began as a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, devices enabling remote education when schools closed, has morphed into something far darker. Today, these same technologies, designed for connection and progress, fuel addiction, erode family bonds, spread hatred, and claim young lives.

The world is waking up. Countries from Australia to parts of Europe and Asia are imposing strict age limits on social media for minors, doubling fines on non-compliant platforms, and treating this as the serious non-traditional ...