It’s a known fact that a majority of modern parents now let their kids use tablets and electronic devices. But is this really a good move? A lot of children can’t exactly have a normal daily active life because they tend to be on their phone and other devices a lot of the time. So why should you discourage this?
1.It can change the child/parent relationship
Between the ages of 0 and 2 years, an infant’s brain triples in size. A parent’s voice, touch, and eventually play can help build pathways in their brain that aid them in learning how to bond emotionally with other people . But for children who spend too much time interacting with a screen, something different happens.It’s addictive
2. It sparks tantrums
If someone has an addiction, they will throw a fit if you take what they are obsessed with away from them — at any age. However, giving a kid a smartphone or tablet to pacify them when they are having a tantrum isn’t a great idea, either. If these devices become the predominant method to calm and distract young children, will they be able to develop their own internal mechanisms of self-regulation?
3. Prevents them from sleeping
It’s no secret that curling up with your smartphone, tablet, or e-reader before you go to bed at night makes it more difficult to fall asleep. The light that emits from a screen suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, and shifts the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
4. They become slow learners
According to researchers, a smartphone is harmful to a child’s ability to learn because it distracts their attention. These devices also may replace the hands-on activities important for the development of sensorimotor and visual-motor skills, which are important for the learning and application of math and science,
5. It increases the likelihood of mental illness
Because it’s easier to be emotionally detached when online, more people are cyber-bulled. There are also tons of images and forums online that can make a developing child or teen feel uneasy about their growing body. According to experts, too much time on smartphones or tablets has been a factor in rising rates of child depression, anxiety, attachment disorder, attention deficit disorder, psychosis, and problematic child behavior.
