15-Year-Old Boy Kills Himself After Parents Refused To Give Him A New Mobile Phone

A 15-year-old boy reportedly killed himself after his parents refused to buy him a new mobile phone in Attapadi, Palakkad, Kerala, India on Sunday, May 29.

The deceased, identified only as Abhijit, a tenth-grade student at Mount Carmel School in Jellipara, Attapadi, allegedly took his own life by hanging himself from a swing in the open yard in front of his house, after his parents refused to buy him a new mobile phone to play games, Mathrubhumi reported.

Abhijit was reportedly addicted to the mobile game PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) and received several warnings from his parents to stop playing the game due to its addictive nature. Abhijit's parents had taken him to counseling after they noticed him spending hours on his mobile phone. However, even after several sessions of counseling and warnings, Abhijit allegedly kept on demanding a new mobile device to play games on.

Abhijit has been staying with his mother, Bindhu, who lives estranged from her husband. Since Bindhu was undergoing financial difficulties, she declined her son’s request for a new phone. However, Abhijit reportedly felt upset after his demand wasn't met. He subsequently killed himself on Sunday, May 29.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a 15-year-old boy reportedly killed himself after his mother took away his mobile phone in Idukki, Kerala, India on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, Latin Times reported.

The victim, identified as Russel Mohammed, a resident of Kokkayar in Idukki, reportedly took his own life by hanging a noose from the ceiling fan in his room, after his mother took away his mobile phone amid concerns that he was overusing the device.

Mohammed's mother found him using his cellular phone at around early 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, and proceeded to take it away saying he was spending too much time in front of screens. When Mohammed asked his mother for the mobile phone back later that morning, she reportedly refused to hand it over, sternly saying that she will return the phone only if he spends time studying till noon.

Mohammed's mother then left the home for some errands. However, when she returned around 1 p.m., she found that her son's room was locked from the inside. Following this, she forcibly opened the latched door and found Mohammed hanging limp from the ceiling of his room.

After the gruesome discovery, the distraught mother alerted the local police. Mohammed's body was shortly retrieved and transported to a local hospital for an autopsy. Peruvanthanam police have reportedly launched an investigation into the tragic incident.