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Friday, February 20, 2026
TopicAddiction

Topic: Addiction

India’s digital de-addiction centres getting busier. AI to aid early detection, ‘relapse always a risk’

As India’s digital footprint expands, more and more people are grappling with non-substance addictions like excessive internet use, gaming, smartphone and social media dependence.

Liquor shops around Dalit bastis are not a coincidence. It’s trauma seeking an outlet

Markets follow vulnerability and the state taxes the bottle, while condemning the drinker. 

New drug to treat cannabis addiction shows promising results, no withdrawal symptoms in trials

French biotech firm developed & tested drug which blocks human body’s cannabinoid receptor pathway that causes addiction, according to report in Nature Medicine journal.

Red-eyed, lost young men in Bihar’s Seemanchal show how Nitish Kumar’s alcohol ban backfired

In Bihar, the focus is still on curbing alcohol. But there’s a problem Nitish Kumar didn’t see coming – drug addicts, crime and a new ‘Generation Nowhere’.

#GenerationNowhere: India’s young are fighting an invisible epidemic, smartphone addiction

Young Indians are dropping out of college, their IIT aspirations turning to dust and many are now in de-addiction centres. Is smartphone dependency growing?

How often does Nandan Nilekani check his email? A new book tells you about addiction

In 'The Art of Bitfulness’ Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani explore new strategies to reclaim our time, privacy and attention from our many devices.

How much is too much? There are 6 ways to know if you are addicted to binge-watching

If you want to cut down on the number of episodes you watch in one sitting, my golden rule is to stop watching mid-way through an episode.

Karnataka’s online gaming ban won’t work. It shows poor grasp of tech

Heavy-handed technology regulation is a recipe for economic disaster and social rebellion. It reflects a lack of basic understanding of technology.

Carbs have people hooked like cocaine. And Indians are not slowing down

Research shows psychological rewards from sugar and sweets are comparable to that of cocaine, and can sometimes be more rewarding and attractive.

Xi Jinping’s CCP is daring to go where even Taliban wouldn’t — separate kids from smartphones

CCP has issued a decree allowing kids no more than 3 hours of online gaming per week. The time freed will be used to revise Xi Jinping Thought, now part of school curriculum.

On Camera

Cautious optimism — India’s new relationship with Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh

Both Bangladesh and India will have to work together to repair the damage done during the Yunus administration.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Embraer moves full throttle in pursuit of IAF contract, ties up with Hindalco after Adani

IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.

The new Great Game—Trump’s playing for time, China for leverage & India for wiggle room

This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.