!ns¡ght
By Aadil Rashid
Without phone, why children are not taking meals?
All credit goes to their parents, as most parents nowadays lack parenthood. They find it easier letting mobile phones engross their child’s attention than giving their own time. But, have you ever thought that your child might have developed a disorder? Yes, he can be suffering from a disease, but unfortunately you do not know. This disease is Screen Dependency Disorder.
What is Screen Dependency Disorder? Let’s see.
Screen Dependency Disorder may be defined as any screen-related addiction which includes; internet addiction, video game addiction, mobile phone dependence, facebook addiction, etc. Children, adults, anyone can become addicted to gadgets.
Harmful effects of Screen Dependency
Screen dependency disorder is very harmful for children. Mobile phones, when used excessively and in wrong ways, can make one sick, and the sickness ranges from eye strain to cancer as a result of radiation. Cell phones cause strabismus in children.
They also cause cock eyes, misaligned eyes, due to accommodative stress on eyes. Damaging brain functions in one of the long term effects. It can cause problems in brain related functions, damaging an area in the brain called insula which is responsible for empathy.
The light coming from mobile phones is man-made and hence has no positive effect. According to researchers, blue light from smartphones can be dangerous to the eyes and retina, as it is not blocked by cornea and the lens, potentially increasing the risk of macular degeneration. Prolonged use of phones can lead to various problems among children like tired, itchy, and dry eyes, or even blurred vision and headaches.
What are the symptoms of Screen Dependency Disorder?
Children can develop mental health problems and experience behavioral changes. They might also become aggressive and easily irritable if parents don’t give them access to smartphones. With this they may experience anxiety, loneliness, guilt, self-isolation, depression, mood swings and agitation. This may lead to a condition called ADHD and autism in kids.
Screen Dependency Disorder may lead children to be sleepy and less focused. Consequently, children will extend sleeping during daytime and thus distort their sleep cycle. Other than that, excessive dependency on screen leads to insufficient information processing and poor task performance. It may also affect speech delay, weight gain/loss, insomnia, mood swings, eyesight problems, self-isolation, withdrawal symptoms, lack of sympathy, and poor organization skills. This is almost like drug addiction or alcohol addiction and the effects are also similar.
Early childhood is a very significant period for the development of child. It is the period of rapid growth. It is at this time when family lifestyle patterns are quickly adapted by the child. Parents role, therefore, is essential to boost child’s health and mental gains.
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