Kaliakair Teens Turn to Online Games, Gambling as Playing Fields Disappear
Md. Abdul Mannan, from Kaliakair (Gazipur)
In Kaliakair, an industrial area of Gazipur, the lack of open playgrounds is blocking the normal physical and mental growth of children. With no other way to have fun, thousands of children and teenagers in the upazila are getting caught up in harmful online games and gambling on smartphones, such as Free Fire, PUBG and TikTok. As a result, teen crime, family unrest and teen gang activity are rising at an alarming rate in the area.
A field visit to Kaliakair municipality, Mouchak union, Safipur, Palli Bidyut, Chandra Trimohoni, Boardghar, Fulbaria, Harinhati and Atabaha showed the same picture. Football, cricket, Gollachut and Hadudu once filled these fields every afternoon. Now a large part of them has been filled with factory waste or is used as truck parking. In many places, ordinary children fear to go to the fields because hooligans and teen gangs have taken them over. So the children stay at home and spend most of their time on mobile screens.
In Mouchak, Safipur and Chandra, groups of children hope for a good mobile network. They can be seen sitting under trees, on bamboo platforms and even on high tree branches. There they play games or gamble online on cricket and casino sites. Mr. Abdul Hamid, a resident of Mouchak union in his seventies, said with regret that boys once ran in the fields in the afternoon. Now the fields are empty, and most boys hold a mobile in their hands. He said the children are being ruined.
Worry among parents has reached its peak. Ms. Rahima Khatun of Safipur said her seven-year-old son does not want to study without a mobile, and her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter does not want to eat. Another parent, Mr. Shafiqul Islam, said his son lost 20,000 taka in online gambling and now breaks things at home to get money. Ms. Sadia Tasnim Munmun, a medical officer at Kaliakair Upazila Health Complex, spoke about the health risks of too much screen use. She said long hours on mobile reduce children’s eyesight, disturb sleep, cause bad temper and lead to a serious lack of focus.
Calling the matter a social tragedy, local Member of Parliament Mr. Md. Mojibur Rahman said orders have been given to list the agents of online gambling and bring them under the law. He said a zero tolerance policy has been announced against teen gangs. He also said the needed legal and financial steps will be taken to recover fields and build new ones in every union.
Mr. Dewan Jasim Uddin, a possible mayoral candidate of Kaliakair municipality, said that if elected he will set up playgrounds and children’s parks in every ward. He will also start counseling against mobile addiction and drive out the financial agents of illegal gambling. The Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) of Kaliakair said that, following administrative orders, awareness will be built against games and online gambling. He added that a mobile court will be run soon.
