Contents
- 1. Electronic Devices Disable Our Biological Clocks
- 2. Electronic devices are addictive
- 3. Electronic devices may glow at night, which is bad for sleep.
- 4. Use of electronics increases the likelihood of stress
- 5. Electronic devices contribute to absent-mindedness and mental fatigue.
- 6. Screen time could be better spent outdoors.
We often hear that children today are not what they used to be. They either do not give their parents a moment of peace, are overly active and restless, or they sit on the couch all day long, not rejoicing in anything and not being interested in anything. What is the reason for such childish behavior? Child psychiatrist Victoria Dunkley tells.
Often parents, concerned about their children’s behavior, take them to the doctor, where labels are immediately hung on the child: depression, bipolar disorder, or attention deficit disorder. The psychiatrist prescribes a whole list of drugs, but most often the drugs are powerless.
Why? You just need to take a closer look at the child. Where does he spend most of the day? In front of the screens of mobile devices or computer? Then the pills can not be given, the effect of them in this mode will be little.
But if you put a child on a “digital-free” diet, the effect can be impressive. Sleep will improve, daytime apathy will pass, the child will become more attentive and disciplined, will move more. He will begin to please the little things that he had not noticed before, which means that failures will upset him less. Imagination will also improve, because the stream of images from the screen does not allow fantasy to unfold in full force.
Social networks, computer and mobile games, chat correspondence cause addiction and overexcitation in children
Limiting the use of smartphones will not solve all problems, but the experience of psychologists shows that without this, treatment can come to a standstill.
Children’s minds are more fragile than ours. And if parents think that three hours at the computer is better than the same time in front of the TV, they are making a mistake. Social networks, computer and mobile games, chatting correspondence cause addiction and overexcitation in children, which leads to sleep disturbance, irritability and attention problems.
Here are a few more reasons why you should cut back on your gadget time.
1. Electronic Devices Disable Our Biological Clocks
The light from the screen of a mobile phone makes the body of a child playing in bed before going to sleep think that it is still daytime. And this means that the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps to fall asleep, does not occur. It is more difficult for a child to fall asleep because his biological clock is not working properly. And this entails other, more serious diseases.
2. Electronic devices are addictive
Mobile games cause a surge in the production of the pleasure hormone dopamine in the brain of children. This surge is comparable to the use of a dose of a drug.
The body is designed in such a way that the more pleasure we get, the more we need it every time. So children become addicted to smartphones, and the production of dopamine begins to deviate from the norm.
But this hormone is also responsible for motivation and attentiveness, which means that any violations in its production have a bad effect on the well-being of the child.
3. Electronic devices may glow at night, which is bad for sleep.
It is known that you need to sleep in complete darkness, but not many parents take this requirement seriously. Even the dim light of a night lamp that works all night reduces the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible not only for sleep, but also for blocking cancer cells and slowing down the aging process. What can we say about the bright flashing notifications of mobile phones. And if the child also decides to check the messenger in the middle of the night, then the bright blue light of the screen will instantly lower the level of melatonin by a huge amount.
4. Use of electronics increases the likelihood of stress
Mobile phones and tablets are a constant source of excitement for kids, they just can’t get away from them. In other words, children are constantly under stress. Stress also stimulates the production of cortisol, a hormone that helps to cope with emergency situations.
However, too much cortisol in the body leads to depression, thyroid problems, and headaches.
5. Electronic devices contribute to absent-mindedness and mental fatigue.
Chat notifications, an offer to play an online game, a recently published news item – all this requires the immediate attention of the child, and he immediately grabs the phone. I no longer have the strength to focus on anything else.
The child not only becomes distracted, he cannot even comprehend what is happening to him. Priorities are set incorrectly, small problems turn into huge ones. The way out of this is outbursts of anger and irritability, which gradually become a habit.
6. Screen time could be better spent outdoors.
According to researchers, communication with nature brings nothing but positive effects. The level of stress decreases, the ability to concentrate improves, the person becomes more calm and balanced. Try to get out there as often as possible.
In today’s world, we are so fused with our gadgets that a drastic ban on their use seems to many too radical a step towards children. But this is really necessary, especially when the child’s nervous system is very upset.
About the Author: Victoria L. Dunkley, MD, Child Psychiatrist, and author of Reset Your Child’s Brain (New World Library, 2015).