How Do You Fix Cellphone Addiction's Lasting Impact On Children?

In a recent series of events, Seattle Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in Washington, filed a lawsuit against several media and big tech giants over the rise in mental health crises in school-going children. The suit was made to hold these companies accountable for the harm they have caused to their susceptible young students. In addition, there is an impact on the student's social, mental, and emotional health. The applications are designed to exploit the user's psychology to manipulate them into using their apps for a longer time.

Cell phone addiction or blue light addiction is on the rise everywhere. The screen is set to follow us around. This increase in screen time impacts children's learning and dealing with other life situations, even though technology brings us ease in work and access to unlimited knowledge. 

Children are easy targets as their minds are not yet fully developed to handle such conduct due to a lack of impulse control and emotional maturity.

According to some statistics, the age at which individuals get their first phone is becoming drastically lower. In 2015, reports mentioned that 30% of 10-year-olds and 83% of children aged 14 in Spain have a personal phone, and at an age as young as two, these kids had easy access to their parent's devices.

Technology has many benefits for the youth, especially in education. At the same time, it becomes increasingly vital for us to balance it out by bringing in elements of studying outside the screen and giving them real-life experiences. It is important to note that technology can only stimulate real experiences, which means it lacks a high-definition view of reality. Human brains are supermachines and can be easily trained to perform the most difficult tasks by giving them a rich real-life sensory experience. Memory, visualization, mental calculations, creative thinking, linguistic sophistication, and socialization are just some examples.

Data collected through various studies suggest that a higher screen time enables problems in behaviour and has given rise to new pathologies that feed on fear and anxiety, caused by not having continuous access to their phones, for example, Ringxiety or Textiety.

Conscious use of phones in dangerous situations, loss of interest in other activities, inability to socialize in real life, anxiety, loneliness when unable to connect over the phone, and feeling irritable when separated from the device are just a few issues that have also been observed. The simple way to solve this problem is by bringing moderation in the usage of screens. 

It is also our duty as individuals and members of this society to consciously keep a check and mold habits to curb extreme usage of screens. Since screens have become an inevitable part of our lives, we must encourage adopting simple practices from a young age to help us stay grounded and in touch with reality.

As the young ones strive to bring balance and focus on overall health, it is essential to introduce them to some form of therapy and self-care practices as a part of an integrated daily routine. Introducing them to different forms of spirituality like meditation, yoga, and many more can be of great help. It can highly reduce stress, alleviate anxiety symptoms, aid in holistic development, and open up a broader view of the universe and its mechanisms.

Along with psychological damage, it also hampers the child physically. It is highly recommended to limit the usage of blue screen devices in the evening to prevent sleep disturbances. Set clear boundaries with children for using gadgets, encourage them to pursue alternate activities like sports, dancing, and learning musical instruments, and have an open conversation explaining the pros and cons of using devices for extended periods.

The most important way to limit screen time would be to model that behaviour for your children to build their faculty of Viveka. They are great observers and follow most of our habits and mannerisms. Set positive examples for them, like taking care of your health, engaging in social situations, pursuing your goals and hobbies, and spending quality time with your family uninterrupted.

Soumya Aggarwal is a COO at Rishihood University. She is an alumnus of HEC Paris and Lady Shri Ram College for Women. Aparna Patel is a Program Coordinator at Rishihood University. She is an alumnus of Columbia University.

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of BQ Prime or its editorial team.