In a day and age enamored by the glamour of social media, it becomes difficult to limit the consumption of social media content. This dilemma is plaguing children as young as 9 years, with 49% of children aged between 9 to 13 years of age spending more than 3 hours every day playing video games or consuming social media content in some form. In the Internet era, requiring a smart phone for education, work and entertainment has become imperative for the upcoming generation. As a parent, it can get difficult to navigate the fine line between genuine necessity and addiction of social media in their children. Parents often allow their young toddlers to consume social media content, or watch cartoons and videos on the phone, tablet or television, as it is a more convenient and effortless way of keeping their child engaged. Little do they know that this seemingly harmless habit could lead to disastrous consequences in their later formative years.
Gadget dependency is an unregulated behavioral problem and the inability of the user to use the gadget moderately. The desire to use the phone or any other device when bored or inactive is an addiction. Gadget addiction does not discriminate, it affects people of all ages and races. The effects range from mental, physical, emotional and even threatening our democracy. Children, in particular, have displayed early symptoms of gadget addiction. Some of the major ones are depression, irritability, anxiety, anger, social isolation, delay in language and speech and so on. Cognitive impairment begins at a fairly young age for children who display gadget addiction. These include deficits in remembering, learning, paying attention, deliberating and communicating. The use of gadgets also leads to physiological complications like obesity, myopia, dryness, blurring vision, headache, etc. Sleep quality and the hours of sleep are largely affected by constant exposure to blue light nearing bedtime in children.
The emergence of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified the pre-existing problem. A Jaipur hospital- based national survey found out that 65% of children became gadget addicts, while 50% of them cannot stay away from their gadgets for even half-an hour (Times of India, 2020). This debilitating situation can be countered. As a parent, you could plan interesting activities that do not require gadgets. These could include watching or playing a sport, engaging in creative pursuits, reading together, and so on. Setting rules and limits, and as well as engaging in certain gadget-related activities with your child could also ensure healthy use of gadgets. Detecting early dependency on gadgets and replacing that time with a developmentally appropriate mental, physical, and social activity is the ideal solution. Finally, consulting a child or developmental psychologist if the condition seems too dire could lead to optimal results.
Gadgets can be a wonderful learning and exploration tool for quenching curiosity, but drawing boundaries for healthy use could lead to the best developmental results for your child.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
