Harmful effects of smartphones on children

Suppose you have visited a place or been to a concert. Do you get busy taking photos there? Or, do you start counting likes after uploading a photo on your social media account? Many people even lose their minds if they do not get enough ‘likes’ on their posts.

Scientists have named such an addiction to smartphones as “NOMOPHOBIA”. Many people suffer from this problem. Such an excessive addiction to smartphones is creating physical and mental problems alongside decreasing our productivity and creativity. 

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There is no way to deny that smartphone has made our lives easier and in some ways better. Thanks to the smartphone, many official tasks can now be done very easily from anywhere. Such examples are not rare. But when we become too much addicted to smartphones then it becomes a burden for us. We spend hours after hours without any reason.

Let us take a look at some statistics:

BankMyCell, a price comparison site, and The Guardian have published some statistics, which clearly indicate that we are going to face a serious problem.

·         Users check their smartphones 47 times on an average per day, which means they check their smartphones 17,155 times in a year. The number of touches or clicks per day is almost 2700 times.

·         85% of smartphone users use their devices while chatting with family and friends.

·         80% of smartphone users use smartphones in bed before going to sleep.

·         Users of the 18-29 years age group spend three hours on smartphones on an average per day.

This smartphone addiction is not only wasting our valuable time but also causing many physical and mental illnesses. Numerous researches have been conducted on this issue. Researchers showed that smartphone addiction reduces emotion among people, increases anger and frustration and causes insomnia.

A survey conducted in the UK showed that parents’ excessive usage of smartphones has negative impacts on family life. Children are the biggest victims of this addiction. Tablet For School, a UK-based nonprofit organization, reported that smart device addiction reduced sleep among children. Research conducted by a group of American researchers revealed that smartphone addiction hinders their mental development. It is even affecting their social and family life.

Excessive use of smartphones can cause poor vision and myopia or poor eyesight. According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, blue light from a smartphone screen can cause permanent damage to the retina and push it towards blindness.

Ear problems caused smartphones depend on user's habits. Listening to music at a loud volume using headphones affects the inner ear cells and causes an abnormal attitude in the brain. There is a risk of becoming deaf at some point.

Despite knowing the dangers of the excessive use of a smartphone, many conscious parents are giving smartphones to their children for spending time. Due to the availability of the internet, many children and teenagers are spending their time on social media and playing video games online. Many people are becoming completely addicted to these. For this reason, they are spending six to ten hours a day or more on smartphones. It is creating depression, loss of appetite, exhaustion and also causing harm to their studies. The excessive use of smartphones is having a negative impact on children’s mental health.

Smartphone addiction is as dangerous as drug addiction. A two-minute-long phone call causes hyperactivity in the brains of the children, which lasts in their brain for the next one hour.

The risk of heart attack increases double. The nerve of the user becomes weak. The mood becomes irritable. Blood pressure rises. The body gradually becomes tired and dull; even it disrupts sleep regularly. Radiation from the screen of a smartphone is harmful to the health of adults. It is even more harmful to children. It hampers the development of their brain.

Parents will have to play an important role to stop the excessive use of mobile phones. It is possible to reduce the tendency of children to become addicted to smartphones by giving them time, developing the habit of reading books, motivating them to do creative work, etc.

A smartphone is more than just an electronic device that allows two or more people who are geographically separated to communicate with one another. Rather, its additional features and latest technologies have made it more than a talking machine. Aside from the usual functions, smartphones can now be used to listen to FM radio, play music, take photographs, videos, send voice messages, and so on. We should ensure the proper use of our smartphones and keep them beyond the reach of the young people in our family. Thus, kids will stay out of the influence of smartphones.