Iranians limited to the Islamic regime’s domestic websites are struggling with feelings of isolation and depression, particularly as the applications made available to them do not allow them to connect with relatives outside Iran, engage with entertainment, or properly carry out the research needed for their education, according to a new study published by the Iranian digital rights monitoring organization Filterbaan.
Based on 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 adults and four teenagers from different cities across Iran, Filterbaan reported that Iranians are suffering from the emergence of an “existential divide.” The divide between their right to unrestricted access compared to their limited options is leaving them suffering with feelings of isolation, anger, humiliation, and depression.
“If this continues long-term, we will see a major wave of suicide and depression, and a large wave of migration,” one of the study’s respondents theorized.
For teenagers, losing access to the World Wide Web has meant losing “a space for inspiration and learning.”
Domestic applications, like Shad, Eitaa, Baleh, and Sky Room, are unstable, slow, and ineffective, the study noted. Many teachers have been forced to rely on files rather than live remote teaching, as a result, limiting opportunities for questions and interactions.
“I study architecture at a vocational high school, and I constantly need to search for things, but now I just can’t. Aparat has become so crowded that uploading anything there barely works. … We resisted for a long time against installing Iranian apps. Now we’ve installed Shad, Eitaa, and Baleh. We were forced to,” a 17-year-old student complained.
Additionally, the teenagers described the uncomfortable reality that accompanies the self-censorship they are forced to employ while using domestic messaging apps. The constant fear of monitoring alerted researchers to the concern that the next generation will never be exposed to the concept of free communication.
“There is always a man in a suit reading what we say. We speak in code. We see each other more in person. We can’t send pictures because they see them,” a 17-year-old respondent shared.
Economic conditions preventing working-class Iranians from accessing alternative internet access
The majority of those interviewed described the shutdown of the international internet as a “social injustice” and a “violation of a natural right.” Adding to that feeling of injustice is the economic restrictions preventing many working-class households from accessing online space.
Prices for a VPN now reportedly range from 150,000 toman per gigabyte to 3 million toman per gigabyte. The report noted that only those whose income is completely tied to internet access are still willing to pay the high costs.
For those unable to afford the internet, they have abandoned the online sphere altogether, relying on only satellite TV and text messages. Those who are forced to make this decision are left “angry, frustrated, exhausted, and depressed.”
Further complicating the issue is that buying a VPN is a high-risk transaction, with no oversight or formal mechanisms for accountability. Internet users are forced to rely on anonymous sellers that their service works and that their privacy is safe.
Filterbaan filtered respondents into three categories. Firstly, the group who spend between one and three million tomans per gigabyte because their work seriously depends on it. The second group is the ‘Left Behind’; older individuals without the means to afford VPNs and so rely on domestic alternatives with little satisfaction. Finally, the third group are classified as ‘shared users’ who rely on a network of friends and family members to collectively pay for VPN subscriptions.
Notably, people in the ‘Left Behind’ group described being made to use domestic services with terms such as “humiliation,” “torment,” “helplessness,” and “backwardness.”
Nearly all those from all three groups said they were considering emigrating with internet restrictions being the final straw in a country where individual freedom is so tightly restricted.
While Iranians are increasingly looking at Starlink as a “golden opportunity,” the legal and economic risks have largely prevented it from becoming a popular option so far. A group of individuals would likely need to join together to purchase a Starlink device, but fear of surveillance and or citizen reporting is preventing such action, according to the study.
“People are afraid of being labeled spies or being arrested or even executed, and of having their devices confiscated. Even those who have it don’t tell others. Especially these days, during wartime conditions, we’ve heard a lot about people ‘informing on others,’ unfortunately, even neighbors,” one respondent commented.
Deep psychological harm inflicted through digital isolation
In addition to the severe layoffs caused by the blackout, the removal of recreational applications, and the disruption to education, Filterbaan asserted that the internet restriction had led to deep psychological harm. Interview subjects reported experiencing depression, burnout, and feelings of falling behind in the modern world.
“A part of the means of living has been lost. Entertainment and recreation are like clean air — you don’t die immediately without them, but you can’t deny the psychological damage caused by their absence,” one 52-year-old respondent explained.
Those with family outside the country have also struggled with the lack of communication, harming their mental health.
“Two of my aunts live in America, and my mother used to video call them several times a week… Now she has lost all of that, and it has made her depressed. She keeps asking me why they won’t reconnect the internet,” a 39-year-old respondent said.