Children are the future of any nation and future should be bright and healthy, not only physically but also mentally. Today’s age is the age of technology, the amazing and interesting invention of the 20th century is smartphone, whose purpose was to make life easier. You can stay in touch with your relatives and colleagues where ever you whether it is in the form of call or a text message. Who knew that this device would hit the market in the form of smartphones that would not only take over our mind but also swallow our children’s brain. In which a storm of applications will be hidden, a click on which will take your child to another world. Where children used to play with stuff toys and hard toys, outdoor games, they will become addicted to smartphones.
Who knew that this device would enslave innocent minds. A child’s first school is the mother’s lap. Earlier, the mother used to play with the children and lull them to sleep, but today when the child says, “Mom” play with me, sit with me, the child wants to tell the school story to his mother, then the mother grabs her phone to get rid of his mischiefs. This smartphone has stopped parents from spending quality time with their children.
A clear change in the behavior of children has been observed before and after using smartphones. Before using the smartphone, the child is calm, but as soon as the smartphone is taken away from the child or the battery of the phone runs out, the child becomes irritable for a long time and he talk nonsense.
In a 2020 survey, according to Pew Research centre, 60% of children were exposed to smartphones before age 5. In that group, 31% had been introduced to phones before age 2.(psych central)
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that children who used smartphones before the age of two had increased hyperactivity and decreased cognitive development. WHO report stated that the children between two and four years old should spend no more than an hour a day in front of a screen. Additionally the writers found that a research gap exist in the field.
Being a mother, I object to parents using this or any other such gadget in front of their kids. These defenseless youngsters pick up lessons from their surroundings because their brains are still developing. What youngsters observe their parents, grandparents, cousins, and other relatives doing will pique their interest.
Johnlock viewed, “The child as a blank slate” According to him, a child learns from education, experience and environment. If a two years old child sees people around him using smartphones, then he also wants a smartphone, the toy that his family members are busy with for hours. This means that we are giving the child such an environment that the smartphone itself is actually an entertainment on which he can see many good and bad things with a single click. It is said that children are blank paper on which whatever is written remains written like permit marker. Nature has entrusted the responsibility of educating children to parents and teachers this is indeed the greatest responsibility. Children are lumps of clay that mould into whatever shape they are moulded to. According to Barbara,(University of California, professor of communication), emotional intelligence in children is adversely affected by their parents' smartphone use, are looking for and their attention gets diverted. Smartphones create a wall between children and parents. While this modern technology has brought the whole word to a point to point, its biggest disadvantage is that an individual is partially present everywhere but completely now here. Many parents know that this device is not good for small children, they know that it causes neurophysical and psychological problems in children, yet they do not refrain from giving this device in the hands of their children.
Smartphones affects on Children’s Health.
It is said that a healthy body contains a healthy mind. A healthy body is build by performing physical activities. How can a child develop a healthy mind when they do not play physical games and are busy using smart phones all day, how will the mind develop?
Many parents assert that playing mobile games aids their children cerebral growth, but if they play games on their phones nonstop all day, how will their physical health improve? According to a study, kids who use their smartphones more frequently become addicted to them, which causes both physical and psychological issues. This addiction can affect brain development in children. Smartphone addiction leads to reduced grey matter volume in the prefrontal cortex, this can affect the child's abilities such as decision-making, impulse control and attention. Doctor Neerja says that due to spending many hours in front of the mobile screen, issues of sleeplessness, stress and mental distress have been seen in children. You must have noticed that when children are using any device, be it smartphones, tablets, computers or laptops, their eyes are constantly looking at the screen. They are thinking that if we blink, the program running on the screen will be lost. Staring at the screen for long periods of time can affect children’s eyesight.
The blue light and radiation that cell phones emit have the potential to hurt children's eyes and brains, as well as disrupt their capacity to think clearly, The impact of cell phone use on a child's brain is somewhat age-related as well. Compared to older children (teenagers), children between the ages of 2 and 11 are more prone to experience unfavorable effects on their mental development.
Excessive screen time promotes behaviors such as aggression, stubbornness and irritability in children. The use of these technological devices has made children idle and lazy. According to the findings of the research, smartphones also impairs children’s development of the skills needed to learn math's and science.
According to a Health Talk article, children's cognitive abilities are dramatically diminished whenever a smartphone is within reach of them, even if the phone is not switched off. Another study found, It is well recognized that electromagnetic radiation from wireless gadgets such as cell phones, tablets, and other radio emitters is bad for the human body. The Steward report identified, the children and adolescents maybe specially susceptible to exposure due to their developing nervous system, greater average radio frequency deposition in the brain compared with adults. Some people set the alarm and keep the phone near their head. The phone emits transmitted microwave radiation, which is dangerously harmful to brain especially for a side-sleeping baby. It can also cause brain cancer in the future.
An international study reported that a survey found that frequent use of smartphones leads to brain tumours such as “glioma” and “acoustic neuroma”.
Mobile/smartphones effects posture.
While these smart devices are affecting your children’s mental health development, these are not good for your children’s physical development either. The human structure is created by a healthy spine. Keeping your neck bent over mobile phones for hours every day is increasing back and neck muscular problems. Back and neck pain complaints are increasing in children and adults day by day, causing headaches as well, due to which the feeling of early fatigue begins. The main reason for this is that posture is not taken into account while using the devices. It is very important that you make sure that your child's sitting posture is correct when using the phone. If sitting in a proper posture and using mobile or smartphone devices is not taught to the child, physical problems and muscular issues will increase and clumsiness may develop into adulthood.
Children develop the habit of sitting with their backs straight, their heads down, and their shoulders slumped. Children who are not encouraged to sit properly on time may get headache, neck pain, and spin issues. The way they stand, sit, and lie down shows how their bones are arranged. Children are so absorbed in smartphone games and apps that they are unaware of whether they are sitting correctly or incorrectly.
According to a study, parents should improve their children's posture under their supervision after every 15 minutes and occasionally let them know how crucial good posture is to their growth. According to a different survey, kids are frequently straining forward to view or read on their smartphones and tablets. Forward head bending position that can cause pain, joint dysfunction, and even a reduction in respiratory capabilities.
The neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments are subjected to additional stress when your child tilts their head forward while hunched over a phone or tablet, according to an article on the website Screen Time Labs. Additionally, they have a propensity to round the top portion of the spine and the back.
Children may begin to feel pain if they are in these positions for an extended period of time. Researchers have observed that as the usage of mobile devices rises, more kids are visiting doctors for back and neck discomfort treatments, and this trend seems to be related. Poor posture tend to breed more poor posture. Poor posture can quickly become a habit. Poor posture can also cause the spinal cord to change shape, which can get chronic pain and effect balance. A recent scientific study found that children who spend a lot of time using their cell phones and tablets had horns developing off the back of their heads. Constant pressure on the occiput,(the area behind the head) is thought to be the cause of this extreme form of Tech Neck. When the chin is tucked and the head is bowed forward. Excessive stress might cause the soft tissue to calculate and begin to resemble a horn.
Dr. Richard Westrich claims that using a smartphone excessively leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. This involves pain in the arm as well as numbness and tingling in the hands. These technological gadgets have also contributed to a new physical condition called TechNeck, which can cause pain in the neck, head, and muscles, along with deep wrinkles and soreness around the jaw. More than 75% of smartphone users are affected by this syndrome. The term "tech neck" was first used in 2014. A 10-year-old boy who spends several hours staring down and resting his head on his hands while using a phone runs the danger of suffering an abnormal and painful spinal cord injury. The entire personality of the youngster is impacted by poor posture. It's crucial to correct children's hunched posture. If parents and teachers do not discipline their children, they will grow up with inferiority complexes and many personality flaws. Children have lack of understanding and do not know what is right and wrong.
While Smartphones have many disadvantages and harmful effects on children, it also has some benefits.
Benefits
• It is the best source of entertainment.
• Helps children in early education such as listening to poems, recognizing colours, counting.
• Children stay in contact with their grandparents and other relatives living in other cities or countries.
• It helps in the cognitive development, playing games and puzzles on it improves the mental capacity of children.
• Helpful in emergency situations.
• Improves language development in children.
• Through kids friendly websites, children can learn basic skills.
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