IS YOUR CHILD ADDICTED TO SMARTPHONES?

We all love to use smartphones. Most likely you are reading this article on your smartphone. Like adults, children also get attracted to bright screens, colorful videos, music, social media, and addictive games on smartphones. Parents often feel pride in describing how their 1-year-old child can unlock the smartphone  & start a video.

 FEW POINTS TO NOTE

1. Currently, the world’s largest company is APPLE– a smartphone-making company.
2. 84% of homes in the USA have at least one smartphone. Data is similar in other developed countries.
3. 74% of homes in INDIA have at least one smartphone(2022).
4. Globally, an average person’s screen time is  6hrs 58 min/day! Since 2013, it has gone up by 53 min. 
5. Six of the top ten most-played youtube videos are for kids.
6. according to CDC(2017), on average, a less than 8-year child watches 2 hr 20 min screen /per day including 48 min mobile screens.
7. AVERAGE SCRREN TIME: 8-10 year child -6hrs, 11-14 year-9hrs, 15-18 years-7.5 hrs(CDC)
8. 50% children(0-2 years) interact with smartphone(globally).
9. According to JAMA,  a 1year old child gets a screen time of 53 min, and 3 year old gets 2.5 hrs.
10. There is a 52% rise in screen time in children after covid( study in Australia, 2022)
11. A 2019 study in rural India shows 2-6-year-old children spend 2.7 hrs watching electronic screens daily, including 1.6 hours of mobile.

AAP GUIDELINE ON SCREEN TIME OF CHILDREN( includes TV, smartphone, Desktop, laptop, etc)

• 0-18 months- No screen time.
• 18-24 months- Limited screen time( no solo use, only high quality educational programme).
• 2-5 years- Maximum 1 hr/day.
• 6 years or older- 2 hrs or less.

WHY SMARTPHONE ADDICTION IS RISING IN CHILDREN?

I don’t blame the children for the rise of screen addiction in them. We are responsible for this. At 6 months of age, we start a youtube video while feeding the child. At one year age, we keep the child at home with a mobile in his/her hand, without taking him outside to play in the open field. As he gets older he sees his parents are always busy on social media in their spare time. Every adult at home is busy with a smartphone. It’s obvious what the children would learn.

EFFECTS OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION

• Speech & language delay.
• Disturbed sleep pattern, insomnia, anxiety
• Obesity
• Poor academics
• Behavioral- irritability, inattention,
• Psychological- auditory & tactile hallucination( like hearing the ring or feeling the vibration)
• Ophthalmological- blurry vision, dry eyes, redness of the eye, irritation of the eye
• Early substance abuse
• Eating disorder
• Cyberbullying
• Cybercrime

SIGNS OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION

Kids

• Daily screen time is way over the age-appropriate limit.
• Taking away the smartphone triggers a meltdown or tantrum.
• Does not eat unless you open a video.
• The smartphone works like a pacifier for your child.  He/she stops crying (whatever may be the reason) when you give him/her the smartphone.

Older children/teenagers

• Compulsively check the phone for new notifications in every few minutes.
• Get upset when the internet not working or the phone is dead.
• Using the phone at an inappropriate time.
• Isolation from family. 
• Neglect or trouble completing homework.
• Sleep disturbance, insomnia, anxiety.
• Loss of interest in other activity