8 school-going children who call themselves a part of the BTS Army, had to be taken to the psychiatry department of Shalby hospital in the last 10 days. BTS is a popular K-Pop band with items such as “Dynamite”, “Butter”, and “Permission to Dance” ruling the charts. These songs are not a mere source of enjoyment, but also the cause of some children’s loss of sanity, due to which they are taken to psychological experts to get treated. Addiction has caused these children to listen to BTS for more than 8 hours a day.
In one case, a 14-year-old Class 8 student of an international school got so heavily addicted that she would lay locked in her room, without proper eating or sleep, just listening to BTS on one of her devices.
The child’s parents initially thought that this practice was normal, but slowly when the number of hours increased, along with her obsession, it was clear to them that external help was now needed. In her mania, she had become so obsessed with the members, that she attempted to follow their lifestyle, even at the expense of stealing money to purchase expensive clothes and jewelry like them. Her obsession did not stop at dressing like them, as she had dreams and plans to run away to South Korea and marry one of the members.
This does not remain to be the only case, as eight teenagers have been taken to the Shalby hospital in the past 10 days, which means this is a grave issue demanding concern. Dr. Kalrav Mistry, Head of the Department of Psychiatry clinic and de-addiction center, says that parents need to be vigilant with their children. He explains that there is a lot of peer pressure to be updated about everything related to the brand. This pressure can turn into mania as youngsters are blindly following BTS. Teens are also attempting to dress and look like them, for which they are turning to stealing and consuming drugs. By the time the news reaches the parents’ ears it is already too late. Hence, parents should take an active interest in their children’s lives from the beginning.
In another obsessive case, a girl who is a part of a reputed school in Vastrapur was taken to the counselor to get her BTS obsession checked. Not being able to stand that, she attempted suicide by taking too many pills. She started to consume drugs for her anxiety. Dr. Mistry called this Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in which teens try to blindly copy the star’s lifestyle and soon, they start to believe the band member’s life as their own life story.
In a similar third case, a girl from Dhrangadhra, a small town, the fan was seen to be stealing money from her house. She then approached an expensive choreographer to teach her dance moves like BTS. Upon confrontation, she got aggressive and broke her laptop among other things. She had to be taken to counseling against her wishes.
Dr. Mistry said that parents should look out for physical and mental changes in children. He remarked that in most such cases, parents are working which means they have little time for their children. He further gave a few tips to prevent such scenarios in the future :
- Parents should look out for what children watch on Youtube and other sites. Early signs can be detected in this way.
- They should regularly talk to their children.
- Lastly, children need love and affection from their parents. It cannot be replaced by digital or physical things.
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