Sonu Sood flags online gaming risks after Ghaziabad triple suicide case

Actor Sonu Sood has issued a strong warning on children’s unchecked exposure to online gaming and social media after the deaths of three minor sisters in Ghaziabad shocked the nation. The girls, aged 12, 14 and 16, died by suicide after jumping from the ninth floor of their residential building – an incident police have linked to severe online gaming addiction.

Reacting to the tragedy, Sood called for immediate and firm restrictions on minors’ access to digital platforms, cautioning that excessive screen exposure is quietly turning into a public health concern.

On X, the actor wrote, “Social media and online gaming must be restricted for children under 16, except for education,” adding pointedly, “Childhood needs guidance, not algorithms.”

"Three young girls lost their lives in Ghaziabad today. Not to violence. Not to poverty. But to the unseen pressure of online gaming and digital addiction. I’ve raised my voice before, and I’ll say it again. Social media and online gaming must be restricted for children under 16, except for education. Childhood needs guidance, not algorithms. Care, not constant screens. This isn’t about blame. It’s about protection, before it’s too late. Let this not become another headline we forget. It’s time to act (sic)."

According to police officials, preliminary investigations indicate that the sisters had developed an intense obsession with a Korean task-based online game, an addiction that reportedly began during the Covid-19 pandemic and deepened over time. The game is believed to have significantly altered their daily routines, behaviour and mental well-being.

Assistant



Police Commissioner Atul Kumar Singh said the impact of the addiction was evident. “Preliminary findings suggest the sisters had developed an intense obsession with a Korean-themed online game during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly altered their behaviour, routines and self-perception,” he said.

Investigators also revealed worrying details about the girls’ academic lives. The eldest sister, despite being 16, was studying in Class 4, while all three were irregular in attending school, raising concerns about prolonged digital dependency and lack of supervision.

In a video message shared online, Sonu Sood urged parents and guardians to remain emotionally present in their children’s lives, particularly those with access to smartphones and the internet. “Unhe screen nahi, humara saath chahiye,” he said, meaning, “They don’t need screens, they need our support.”

The actor stressed that the deaths were not a result of poverty or physical violence, but what he described as the “unseen pressure of online gaming and digital addiction.” Reiterating his appeal, Sood repeated, “Childhood needs guidance, not algorithms.”

He added that he had raised concerns about digital addiction earlier and would continue to do so. “I’ve raised my voice before, and I’ll say it again,” Sood said, urging authorities, families and society to act decisively instead of responding after tragedies occur.

The incident has once again brought focus on the urgent need for parental awareness, mental health safeguards and stronger regulatory oversight in an increasingly digital-first environment impacting children.