Why you need to limit the time your child spends with gadgets

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Pediatricians and child psychologists advise not to give mobile devices to babies under one and a half to two years old at all and strictly control the time that older children spend with gadgets.

Before considering the restrictions proposed by the experts, you need to understand how mobile devices can harm children.

What harm can babies get from using gadgets?

1. Sleep disorders

Researchers from the University of Birbeck in London observed 715 children aged 6 months to 3 years and found that babies who play with smartphones and tablets sleep less than children who do not. Scientists have calculated that every hour of time in front of the device's screen is minus 15.6 minutes of sleep.

According to one of the researchers, Tim Smith, at first glance, this is very little, but for the proper development of young children, every minute of sleep is important. According to the results of the study, Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset. Reducing sleep in the first two years of life may have long-term developmental implications. Disturbances in sleep patterns and falling asleep have been linked to further problems with mental and physical health, cognitive development, and academic performance.

The use of gadgets before bedtime is especially harmful. The screens emit so-called blue light, which, according to scientists, affects circadian rhythms and inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. This applies to both children and adults.

2. Overexcitement and influence on the psyche

It is noticed that in each subsequent generation there are more and more hyperactive children. Bright and rapidly changing pictures on the screen contribute to even greater overexcitation of the nervous system, which is quite harmful at the moment when it is actively forming.

Parents can often give their child devices to calm him down, not suspecting that this only develops his impulsiveness.

Also, scientists associate the availability of technology with the growth of aggression and mental illness among children. Adults with disabilities will confirm that one of the doctors' recommendations is to limit the time in front of the screen, be it a TV or a mobile device. What can we say about the kids.

3. Physical health problems

Physical activity is very important for children - this is the norm when the child moves a lot. Gadgets are useful only for fine motor skills: kids who actively use mobile devices are better developed in this regard than those who do not play with devices. But otherwise, the use of gadgets stimulates low physical activity, problems with posture and excess weight.

Also, don't discount the impact of bright, flickering displays on your eyesight.

And another threat is radiation: mobile devices are regarded by WHO as possible carcinogens. A growing organism is more susceptible to the negative effects of radiation.

4. Lack of communication skills

When a parent pays off a child with a gadget, the child loses the opportunity to learn. To learn important communication skills, children need eye and tactile contact with their parents. The child should learn to speak, recognize emotions and, finally, just spend time with mom and dad playing useful games.

Study Five days at outdoor education camp without screens improves preteen skills with nonverbal emotion cues., in which a group of sixth graders participated, showed that those who did not use electronics during the experiment were better at recognizing emotions.

If the time at which a child should interact with people is spent on a gadget, in the future this will affect family ties, communication with other children, attitude towards oneself and emotional intelligence.

5. Delayed child development

Toddlers explore the world by touch in many ways: they need to touch shapes and surfaces. If the tablet copes with colors and learning new words with a bang, then the child will not touch the volumetric objects on it.

By the time they start school, one in three children has a developmental delay, which affects literacy and academic performance. And they associate this with the attachment to gadgets from the cradle.

Also, doctors are concerned that the increase in time spent with electronic devices reduces the ability of children to concentrate, learn and remember: it causes the so-called digital dementia.

At what age and how long can a child use mobile devices?

The Association of American Pediatricians previously recommended that smartphones and tablets should not be given to children under two years of age. Now the recommendations have softened a little: children over the age of one and a half years can play with gadgets, but only if they have quality content appropriate for their age and under the supervision of their parents.

For children between the ages of 2 and 5, it is advised to limit the use of devices to one hour a day. And children from 6 to 12 years old, according to pediatricians Ten reasons why handheld devices should be banned for children under the age of 12., should devote no more than two hours a day to technology.

There are also a few guidelines to help establish a reasonable framework.

• Smartphones and tablets should not interfere with physical activity, play and sleep.
• It is best to alternate 15-20 minutes of interaction with gadgets and physical activity.
• Children should not be allowed to play with mobile devices several hours before bedtime.
• You should not give your child a device when he is throwing a tantrum and replace personal attention with gadgets.

How a child can use a smartphone or tablet to their advantage

As already mentioned, it is not only time that is important, but also what exactly the baby does when playing with the gadget.

• Give preference to interactive entertainment: have more educational apps than entertainment videos.
• Do not give your child games with rapidly changing pictures and too bright unnatural colors. Also reduce the brightness of the screen.
• Use the tablet with your child: show how to complete tasks, draw together, download games that require the participation of parents.
• Do not leave your child alone with the devices for a long time. If the internet is connected, set restrictions so that it cannot download inappropriate content or go to the wrong sites.
• Make sure that the device is not too close to the eyes of a child. The optimal distance is 40 cm.

With all of these dangers, mobile devices have many advantages for child development. In addition, gadgets are the realities of our time, from which there is no escape. Therefore, the issues of interaction between a child and devices should be approached without fanaticism. But do not forget that without reasonable limits, gadgets can do a disservice to parents and children.