New Delhi: Nearly 89 per cent of Indian parents are worried about children’s excessive screen time during the exam season, a study by the recently launched Child Online Protection or COP app has revealed.
The data was collected from 5,000 families in major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, as well as Tier-2 cities such as Jaipur and Lucknow.
The findings indicate that exam-related digital stress—especially from board exams—is emerging as a common household experience across the country.
According to the app’s internal data, parents are largely concerned about excessive screen time during exams and its adverse effects on focus, sleep patterns, and overall well-being.
Screen time patterns during exam months show a stark divide between households that enforce digital boundaries and those that don’t.
According to the data, children without structured screen-time limits spend an average of 3 hours and 47 minutes per day on digital devices. In contrast, households that use parental controls and structured digital rules report children’s daily screen usage dropping by more than 50 per cent, bringing it to about 90 minutes.
According to Sandeep Kumar, founder of the COP app, parents should focus on balance and structure instead of enforcing a blanket ban.
“Board exams represent a particularly sensitive phase for both students and parents. While digital tools remain essential for learning, unmanaged screen exposure can significantly affect concentration and emotional well-being. Parents today are not seeking digital bans, but rather balanced and structured systems that help children perform better while preserving trust at home,” Kumar said.
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Non-academic screen time
The COP app positions itself as a parental control and digital safety platform that enables families to monitor screen time, set usage limits, track app activity, and receive geo-fencing alerts.
The platform’s goal is to help families build healthier digital habits during critical academic phases while maintaining transparency and trust between parents and children.
The study also revealed that despite exam pressure, children spent over 68 per cent of their total screen time on non-academic applications. This includes social media, gaming, entertainment, and chat platforms. Apps such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook account for a significant share of overall usage.
The timing is equally concerning. Data indicates that children’s screen activity peaks late at night, with the highest usage recorded between 10 pm and 1 am during exam periods. Device unlock frequency rises sharply to an average of 110 to 130 unlocks per day, pointing to constant digital interruptions.
Nearly 62 per cent of monitored teenagers access entertainment or social media apps within 30 minutes before going to sleep.
The data also goes beyond digital usage patterns. In addition to academic distractions and sleep disruption, parents report noticeable emotional and behavioural changes during exam months. The findings indicate heightened pre-exam anxiety, often amplified by social media comparisons.
Reflecting these concerns, nearly 71 per cent of parents surveyed through the platform believe excessive phone usage increases exam-related stress rather than helping to relieve it.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)