Today’s children can’t imagine a world without smartphones, tablets, and the internet. While digital devices can provide endless hours of entertainment and they can offer educational content, unlimited screen time can be harmful. Children between the ages of 8 and 18 can average 7 ½ hours of entertainment media per day. (The average adult spends over 11 hours per day behind a screen).
48% of teens who spent five or more hours a day on their phones had thoughts about suicide or made plans for it. 28% of the teens who spent more time doing sports, homework, socializing with friends in real life, and going to church had a lower risk for both depression and suicide. Here are some of the side effects of too much screen time for children
1. Aches and Pains: Phone neck, text thumb
and several other new medical terms had to be coined to describe the various
aches and pains which are developing as a result of too much screen time. The
head, neck and wrists are often held at odd angles, and thumbs are used in ways
they were never meant to be.
It all adds up to childhood aches
and pains which will worsen as the child gets older. Back pain, arthritis,
repetitive motion syndrome and migraines are just some of the health problems
children who have too much screen time today may develop in the future.
2. Aggression: Lots of video games feature
violence. Even very young children are drawn to games that use weapons. The
more violent and bloody, the more popular the video game typically becomes.
That can translate into aggression.
Studies show that teens that spend a
lot of time watching violent TV shows and/or playing violent video games are
far more likely to be aggressive both in the home and at school. Aggressive
teens fight with their siblings, peers, argue with teachers and parents, and
always seem to be an outburst waiting to happen.
3. Loss of Social Skills: Children who spend too much time
using devices frequently lack the social skills that are needed to help them
develop into well-rounded adults. People skills and the ability to interact
with others of all ages is lacking in children who spend too much interacting
with an electronic device and have limited face-to-face contact with
individuals. By not developing the ability to interact with others
face-to-face, future adult relationships for the child may be impeded.
Employment, romance, friendships, and simple social etiquette will suffer if a
child never develops normal social skills during childhood.
4. Obesity: The use of any device with an
electronic screen seems to require the need to sit down, or at least be still,
while using it. The sedentary nature combined with ads for high-calorie junk
food often leads to childhood obesity. Children are naturally full of energy
and have an inborn need to run, jump, and otherwise be active.
When that normal desire to be active
is curtailed and they sit on their haunches for hours on end, they will become
overweight. Obesity leads to a variety of health problems, including diabetes,
joint problems and heart disease. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in many
countries, and too much screen time is a contributing to this.
5. Sleep Deprivation: Without question, the screens of
many devices are causing a crisis of sleep deprivation for all age groups. The
loss of sleep is most detrimental to children. Children need more sleep than
adults due to their developing body and mind. The average child needs 10-12
hours of sleep each night in order for them to grow and develop properly, but
screen time is shaving off hours of that much-needed sleep time.
The average child is constantly
sleep deprived and trying to learn, grow, and develop on 6-8 hours of sleep per
night at the most. Children who sleep with electronic devices in their bedroom
get less sleep than those who leave the devices in another room of the home at
night. Not only are the children playing games and texting when they should be
asleep, but the blue light emitted from the devices hinders sleep even after
the device is shut off. All electronics, which includes cell phones, tablets,
iPads and TVs, emit a blue light from the screen.
The body interprets that blue light
as daylight and the brain sends out the signal to wake up Instead of being
sleepy at bedtime. A child who is suffering from sleep deprivation will
typically be cranky, have an increased risk of obesity, have a short attention
span, lack decision-making skills, have increased health problems, be
lethargic, and do less well in school.
6. Vision Problems: There used to be a 20/20/20 rule
for those who had to spend long hours working in front of their computer
screens – every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. That
20/20/20 rule was implemented to help prevent eye strain and potential vision
problems in the future.
Children won’t take their eyes off
the electronic screen for 20 seconds, even if they have heard of the 20/20/20
rule. Immediate eye strain and pain can occur from staring at the screen too
long, and it’s too soon to know what type of vision problems the future may
hold for those children who have too much screen time now.
“The cell phone has become the
adult's transitional object, replacing the toddler's teddy bear for comfort and
a sense of belonging.” (Margaret Heffernan)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“6 Negative Effects Of Too
Much Screen Time For Children” by Jeffrey Green
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