India loves cricket.
A teenager watches a match, knows every player's form, follows statistics and enjoys predicting who will perform well.
Fantasy sports can naturally fit into that interest.
For many people, it remains exactly that: entertainment.
But imagine a different pattern.
A 17-year-old has had a terrible day.
His examination went badly. There was an argument at home. He feels anxious and frustrated.
Instead of talking to anyone, he opens a fantasy-sports app.
For the next two hours, everything else disappears.
Teams.
Statistics.
Player combinations.
Scores.
Rankings.
The activity gives him temporary relief.
The next stressful day, he repeats it.
Soon the important question is no longer:
“How many hours does he play?”
It becomes:
“Why does he need to play?”
That distinction is at the centre of emerging Indian research.
A recent NIMHANS study of adolescent fantasy-sports users found that participants motivated more strongly by escapism and showing greater frustration-related temperament traits tended to report higher levels of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The message is not that fantasy sports automatically cause mental illness.
It is that using digital activities repeatedly to escape difficult emotions may become psychologically important.
What Did the NIMHANS Study Actually Find?
The research examined 122 fantasy-sports users aged 17–19, recruited between July 2024 and April 2025.
Participants reported several motivations for playing, including love of sport, interest in the game and escapism.
Researchers found greater psychological distress among adolescents whose participation was more strongly driven by escape and among those with certain frustration-related temperament characteristics. Participants with stronger self-control and healthier intrinsic motivations reported less distress.
There is an important reality check.
Only about 4%—five participants—met the study criteria for gaming disorder.
And only around 15% reported making financial transactions through fantasy-sports platforms.
So the scientifically responsible conclusion is not:
“Fantasy sports are making Indian teenagers addicted.”
The sample was small and convenience-based, and the findings are associative.
A better conclusion is:
Most users in this study were not classified as having gaming disorder, but emotionally vulnerable adolescents who used fantasy sports as an escape appeared more likely to experience psychological distress.
That is far more useful.
Entertainment and Emotional Escape Are Different
Two teenagers can spend exactly 45 minutes on the same game for completely different reasons.
Teenager A thinks:
“Cricket is fun. I want to see whether my team wins.”
Teenager B thinks:
“I can't tolerate how anxious I feel. I need something to make me forget everything.”
The behaviour looks identical.
The psychological function is different.
Escapism itself is not automatically unhealthy.
We all temporarily escape through:
films,
music,
books,
sport,
gaming,
travel,
or television.
The problem develops when escape becomes the primary method of emotional regulation.
Then every difficult emotion creates the same response:
stress → play,
loneliness → play,
anger → play,
exam pressure → play,
sadness → play.
The person never develops alternative ways of tolerating or solving the underlying problem.
Why Adolescents May Be Particularly Vulnerable
Adolescence and emerging adulthood involve major development in identity, independence, emotional regulation and decision-making.
At the same time, teenagers face:
academic pressure,
peer comparison,
family expectations,
relationship difficulties,
career uncertainty,
and social-media exposure.
A highly stimulating digital activity can provide immediate relief from these uncomfortable experiences.
The problem is that immediate relief teaches the brain:
“Whenever I feel bad, do this again.”
That learning mechanism is relevant across many repetitive behaviours—not only gaming.
Fantasy Sports Are Not the Same as Gaming Disorder
This distinction is extremely important.
World Health Organization defines gaming disorder in ICD-11 through a persistent pattern involving impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and continuation or escalation despite negative consequences. The behaviour must cause significant impairment in important areas of life and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.
Therefore:
playing every day does not automatically equal gaming disorder.
Playing for several hours occasionally does not automatically equal gaming disorder.
Loving cricket does not equal gaming disorder.
The key questions are:
Can the person control it?
Is it displacing important parts of life?
Do they continue despite serious consequences?
Seven Warning Signs Parents Should Notice
1. Gaming becomes the first response to distress
After every argument, disappointing mark or stressful event, the teenager immediately starts playing.
2. Attempts to stop repeatedly fail
They genuinely intend to play for twenty minutes but remain engaged much longer.
3. Other interests disappear
Sport, friends, studying, family interaction and hobbies gradually lose priority.
4. Sleep is sacrificed
Matches, gaming or checking results continue late into the night despite school or college the next morning.
5. Mood becomes dependent on the activity
The teenager becomes disproportionately irritable or restless when unable to participate.
6. They hide their behaviour
They minimise how much they play, hide transactions or lie about when they stopped.
7. They continue despite clear harm
Grades decline.
Sleep deteriorates.
Relationships become conflictual.
Yet the behaviour continues.
One sign alone does not diagnose gaming disorder. Look for persistent loss of control plus meaningful impairment.
Why “Just Take the Phone Away” Often Fails
Parents understandably become frustrated.
The response becomes:
“Give me your phone. Finished.”
Sometimes limits are necessary, particularly for younger adolescents.
But if the activity is serving an emotional function, removing the device without addressing that function leaves the original problem untouched.
Suppose a teenager is using fantasy sports because they feel overwhelmed by examinations.
Take away the app.
The exam anxiety remains.
They may simply move toward:
short videos,
another game,
compulsive scrolling,
or another avoidance behaviour.
Ask:
“What happens emotionally just before you start playing?”
That question may reveal more than the screen-time report.
The Stress–Escape–Relief Loop
A useful way to understand problematic digital behaviour is:
Trigger → uncomfortable emotion → digital escape → temporary relief → behaviour reinforced.
Imagine:
Poor exam result → shame → fantasy game → temporary distraction.
Next poor result:
the brain already knows where relief lives.
Over time, the pathway becomes automatic.
Treatment therefore should not focus only on eliminating the behaviour.
It should also develop alternative coping pathways.
Build a “Coping Menu”
Ask the teenager to identify five alternatives that genuinely reduce distress.
For example:
a 20-minute walk,
calling a friend,
playing physical sport,
music,
showering,
journaling,
breathing exercises,
speaking with a parent,
or breaking the academic problem into smaller tasks.
The idea is not:
“Never play again.”
It is:
“Gaming should not be your only emotional medicine.”
Parents Should Separate Concern From Shame
Avoid statements such as:
“You are addicted.”
“You are wasting your life.”
“Your generation has no self-control.”
These often create defensiveness.
Try:
“I've noticed that whenever you're very stressed, you start playing for several hours. Does it help you stop thinking about what is bothering you?”
Now you are discussing behaviour rather than attacking identity.
That creates a much better opening for change.
Set Limits Around Function, Not Only Hours
Screen time is easy to measure.
Function is more important.
Ask whether gaming is interfering with:
sleep,
school or college,
exercise,
offline relationships,
meals,
responsibilities,
and emotional wellbeing.
A teenager who plays recreationally after completing responsibilities may require a very different response from one whose gaming dominates daily life.
The Indian Regulatory Context Has Changed
India's online-gaming environment has changed substantially.
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming framework distinguishes between online money games and categories such as e-sports and online social games. Government communications have framed the policy around encouraging e-sports and legitimate online gaming while protecting users from harms associated with online money games.
The rules notified in April 2026 took effect from May 1 and created a regulatory framework for the digital-gaming sector.
This changing environment makes mental-health literacy particularly important.
Regulation can change which products are available.
It cannot teach a teenager how to cope with anxiety.
What About Money?
Financial involvement deserves separate attention.
Gaming for entertainment and risking money are psychologically different experiences.
Financial losses can produce:
chasing behaviour,
secrecy,
borrowing,
guilt,
family conflict,
and intense emotional distress.
WHO classifies both gaming disorder and gambling disorder among disorders due to addictive behaviours, although they are distinct clinical conditions.
If a young person is repeatedly losing money, borrowing, hiding transactions or chasing losses, do not treat the issue as ordinary entertainment.
Professional assessment may be appropriate.
When Should Parents Seek Professional Help?
Consider assessment by a qualified mental-health professional when gaming or related digital behaviour is associated with:
repeated inability to control participation,
major academic decline,
persistent sleep disruption,
severe family conflict,
significant financial losses,
lying or stealing to continue the behaviour,
depression,
panic or severe anxiety,
increasing social withdrawal,
aggression,
self-harm,
or suicidal thoughts.
A clinician should also assess what may be underneath the behaviour.
Sometimes the gaming problem coexists with:
depression,
anxiety,
ADHD,
social difficulties,
family conflict,
or other behavioural addictions.
Treating only the screen may miss the person behind it.
Practical Takeaways
The latest NIMHANS findings offer a useful message precisely because they are not alarmist.
Most adolescents in the small study were not classified as having gaming disorder.
But young people who appeared to use fantasy sports more strongly as an emotional escape also reported greater psychological distress.
Parents should therefore ask something deeper than:
“How many hours are you playing?”
Ask:
“What are you trying not to feel while you are playing?”
That answer may reveal whether the activity is recreation—or whether it has quietly become an emotional crutch.
The goal is not to make every teenager stop gaming.
The goal is to help young people develop enough ways of handling stress that no single digital activity becomes the only place they know how to feel better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fantasy sports addictive?
They are not inherently addictive for everyone. Problematic patterns can occur in some users, but the recent NIMHANS adolescent study found only about 4% of its 122 participants met the study criteria for gaming disorder.
What is gaming disorder?
WHO defines gaming disorder as impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities and continued gaming despite negative consequences, causing significant functional impairment.
How do I know whether my teenager is playing too much?
Look beyond hours. Warning signs include loss of control, worsening sleep or studies, abandoning other activities, conflict and continuing despite clear harm.
Why do teenagers use gaming when stressed?
Digital games can provide distraction, achievement, stimulation and temporary relief from uncomfortable emotions. Problems may develop when gaming becomes the main coping strategy.
Does fantasy gaming cause depression?
The recent Indian study found associations between certain motivations for fantasy-sports use and psychological distress; it does not establish that fantasy sports cause depression.
Should parents completely ban gaming?
Not automatically. The appropriate response depends on age, type of gaming, level of control, financial involvement and whether the behaviour is impairing everyday life.
What should I do if my child becomes angry when gaming is stopped?
Stay calm, establish consistent boundaries and assess whether there is broader loss of control or impairment. Persistent severe aggression warrants professional assessment.
Can gaming be healthy?
Yes. Gaming can be recreational, social and skill-based. WHO notes that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in gaming.
What if money is involved?
Repeated losses, chasing losses, hidden transactions or borrowing substantially raise concern and should be addressed promptly.
When should we consult a psychiatrist or psychologist?
Seek help when gaming is persistently uncontrollable or associated with academic decline, severe anxiety or depression, financial harm, major family conflict, self-harm or suicidal thinking.
What does the latest Indian research show? A NIMHANS study of 122 fantasy-sports users aged 17–19 found greater psychological distress among adolescents with stronger escapism-driven motivations and frustration-related traits. Only about 4% met the study's gaming-disorder criteria.
Does fantasy sports use mean addiction? No.
What is the biggest warning sign? Loss of control combined with impairment in school, relationships, sleep or other important areas.
Why does escapism matter? Repeatedly using gaming to avoid stress, sadness or anxiety can reinforce it as the person's primary coping mechanism.
What should parents do? Discuss what triggers gaming, establish reasonable boundaries, protect sleep and studies, and help the teenager develop alternative coping strategies.
When is professional help needed? When there is persistent loss of control, major impairment, financial harm, severe psychological distress, self-harm or suicidal thinking.
Safety disclaimer: This article is educational and does not diagnose gaming disorder or replace individual psychiatric or psychological assessment. Severe depression or anxiety, significant financial harm, escalating aggression, self-harm or suicidal thoughts require prompt professional evaluation.