With the globalization of the world, cell phone usage is growing so fast. It’s not only meant for adults but also children. All over the world, children are fond of smartphones in many ways. It may be for playing games, talking with relatives or friends, or using social media and taking online education. The negative effects of smartphones on children are huge.
There are so many reasons for concern about the extra use of technology among children. Smartphone is an alarming thing for children and it has risen too quickly. We have discussed here the 5 negative effects of smartphones on children.
1. Eye Difficulty and Reduced Eyesight
Though there is no evidence to suggest that staring at screens for extended periods of time might cause lasting eye damage, it is well-recognized to induce discomfort. While both adults and children suffer pain from excessive smartphone usage, children are more likely to develop symptoms depending on how they use their devices. The term “digital eye strain” refers to symptoms such as discomfort, impaired vision, headaches, dry eyes, and weariness induced by extended smartphone use.
Young children nowadays spend hours on playing online games and viewing YouTube videos, which might have an impact on their vision. Children are less careful about using cell phones and holding them too close to their eyes, something eye doctors worldwide have repeatedly recommended to avoid.
According to a recent study conducted by Chonnam National University, most youngsters aged 7 to 16 who spent a large amount of time on their cellphones were cross-eyed. The study revealed that spending 4 to 8 hours each day using cellphones is most likely to produce cross eyes.
While these issues may be transient, experts recommend that smartphone usage be limited to a certain period of time each day or that 30-minute intervals be taken as a visual break every now and again. It is also critical to encourage youngsters to hold their phones further away from their eyes and to keep the brightness on their gadgets to a minimum.
2. Tumours Risk
Excessive smartphone usage has been linked to an increased risk of tumors, according to numerous researches.
Though there is insufficient data to indicate that tumors are caused specifically by mobile phone radiation, we are confident that there is an elevated risk when smartphones are used often.
As teachers, parents, and caregivers, this type of potential risk is a strong influencer for us to limit our children’s phone use to minimize any risks.
3. Discontinued Sleep Pattern
Most children use their smartphones before bedtime. They might be staying up late conversing with friends, playing games, watching movies, or simply looking through social media. This aimless looking at cellphones at late hours over time increases exhaustion and restlessness since using any electronic device late at night can result in poor sleep scheduling. This is caused by the production of blue light, which all digital gadgets generate and is proven to be detrimental to our eyes, as well as tricking our brain into believing it is still daylight.
These sleep disruptions also impair children’s academic lives because when children are sleep deprived at night, they are too tired to focus in class, resulting in a domino effect that spreads throughout their lives.
Several recent studies have also found that children’s lack of adequate sleep has an impact on their physical development, productivity, attention, and energy levels, in addition to their academic achievement. To preserve our children’s healthy sleep, we must impose tight guidelines against smartphone usage at night.
4. Cause Mental Health Issues
The rising usage of smartphones has led to children becoming hooked to social media since most children use it to interact with peers and stay up to speed on current trends. It is normal for children to compare themselves to their peers and to share stuff in a specific way to increase interaction.
The Internet is a huge arena, and children are likely to encounter a range of improper conduct that may have a harmful impact on their mental health. Many children who are cyberbullied and harassed on the Internet may not reveal their experiences until much later in life, when the harm to their mental health has been done.
New research also suggests that an hour a day spent on cell phones contributes significantly to the growth in depression and anxiety among children. According to the British Psychological Society, children and adolescents who use social media are more likely to have low self-esteem, anxiety, sadness, and inadequate sleep.
As parents, we must teach our children about the risks, hazards, and safety precautions of social media, as well as how to block unwanted messages, because it is our obligation to be vigilant and monitor our children’s actions. Have straightforward and polite talks about cyberbullying and harassment to assist children learn how to avoid being harassed.
5. Reduces the Ability to Learn
Many investigations have verified that cell phones have a negative impact on children’s social and economic development because they divert their attention. To be more precise, the use of interactive screen time on handheld devices such as smartphones affects children’s development of the abilities required to master math and science, according to the findings of the study.
Because many children now bring phones to school and class, cell phones take precedence over what is taught in school. The upshot of such behavior is a clear influence on their academic performance, as children get increasingly glued to their cellphones, failing to pay attention in class and missing critical chapters, leaving them ignorant about the same during tests, resulting in bad results.
There is also a considerable risk of academic malpractice because cell phones may store a large amount of educational knowledge and allow children to obtain answers at their fingertips. From storing screenshots or pictures of notes to using the internet to search for an answer or using the built-in calculator in tests where calculators are not permitted, to even exchange answers with other students via chat during exams, all of these behaviors have been widely observed in various schools.
This kind of activity not only reduces their grades and learning capacity but also causes personality disorders.
Summary
For the young generation, smartphones are both beneficial and curse today. Smartphones are the best option for children of all ages to study in an enjoyable and engaging way. It helps connect with people, friends, and family for safety and security.
In another way, the extra use of smartphones has a negative impact on children including health and development. The blue lights along with radiation coming from smartphones are bad for the brain and eyes of the children. The thinking process and eyes could be damaged by this effect too.
Many researchers discovered that an extra amount of time on a smartphone can damage the brain structure by causing grey matter atrophy, and decreasing cortical thickness. So, for the negative effects of smartphones on children, everyone should be aware of their children.
