A new trend has emerged among matrimonial advertisements in the state of West Bengal in India. Many bride-seekers are categorically rejecting girls who are addicted to social media.

Sample this ad — Our boy is a government employee. He just wants few things from his would-be. Her age should be between 18 to 22, a higher secondary qualification is enough; but the main criteria is that the girl should not be addicted to Facebook and/or Whtatsapp.

Experts from advertising industry in West Bengal have confirmed a spurt in these types of ads and have expressed their concerns around it, reports The Times of India.

‘There has to be some solid logic behind families not wanting Facebook-loving-brides. They fear such addiction could ruin marital life as the partner may indulge in extra-marital affairs through Facebook in future,’ said social science expert Prasanta Ray.

However, the question on everybody’s mind is if social media addiction is even more dangerous than narcotics addiction?

Statistics say that in terms of social media usage, India is on top of the list as per a report published last July. As per the data in the report, there are 24.1 crore active Facebook users and 20 crore WhatsApp users in India.

A survey done to corroborate the findings of the report found social media to be one of the main causes behind anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and even bullying.

So naturally grooms prefer brides with no ‘social media habits’.

According to social activist Prof. Saswati Ghosh, many grooms these days prefer privacy and do not want to reveal or share their personal lives with world.

‘Social networking sites are causing menace in the society. The craze of getting more likes, shares by self-indulgent people is making them vulnerable to cheating on social media. Probably that’s why groom’s family is giving such ads for a healthy marital life,’ Ghosh said.