BREAK THE CELL PHONE ADDICTION IN YOUR CHILD

“The heart is where the home is but now the heart is where the phone is.”

In this technology-driven world, most people spend their time with their mobiles. Cell phones with their varied benefits have changed the world for a better tomorrow as their uses are immense. Just like a coin has two faces, phones also have two faces, the good being it’s unlimited information at a click and the bad face being their addiction for toddlers and children. Not diminishing the benefits of cell phones let us come to the drawback of the same.

Children's addiction often referred to as screen addiction or digital addiction is a growing concern in today’s world. On analyzing the issue one can understand:

· Increased usage of the device: They are exposed to various forms of digital content, including games, social media, and cartoon videos.

· Social isolation: While technology can connect with people, excessive screen time can lead to social isolation. Children tend to spend more time with their devices than interacting with parents, friends, and other people.

· Impact on development: Excessive screen time can have a negative impact on children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development. It can lead to reduced physical activity, disrupted sleep patterns, less attention span, etc.

· Smartphones affect the brain: It is scientifically proven that smartphones affect brain development by slowing growth. Their excessive use also causes cognitive delays.

· Dopamine release: High usage trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. It creates a strong craving for the device and the parents give in to their demands.

· Obesity: As the children are not indulging in physical activities, they start adopting a sedentary lifestyle leading to obesity.

· Delay in social development: Children lack social development as they tend to spend on electronic gadgets and some get delayed in communication skills.

The below-mentioned steps can be taken by parents which can decrease phone addiction.

1. Spending time together with the kids: You need to ensure that more time has to be spent with the kids so that they get drawn to you for love and care and not to the gadgets.

2. Activity-based learning: Children are made to understand various topics with different types of activities whereby they use their intelligence and skill and not these devices.

3. Outdoor games: Parents should take children out to parks, zoos, museums, and other places for learning lessons that they can relate to actually seeing.

4. Strict supervision: Elders should take care to see that the kids watch their phones under their strict guidance and not whatever they feel like and get diverted to different sites which are harmful to their growth and wellbeing.

5. Set screen time limits: Children can be given half an hour to one hour break to relax and enjoy cartoons once their lessons are done.

6. Educational potential: There are many educational videos that actually boost the learning skills of children. They learn many rhymes and songs easily by watching the devices.

7. Role model: Parents should set themselves as role models by limiting phone usage and spending more and more time with their loved ones.

8. Seeking professional help: In case excessive usage of the gadgets goes beyond the control of the parents, they should not delay in getting professional help to reverse the situation.

"It is not good enough that we should have generations of kids that...look forward to a better version of a cellphone with a video in it. They need to look forward to exploration" - Burt Rutan