The impact of the mobile phone on children's emotional and psychological development
You remember our article How are smartphones and tablets damaging our children's spines? I think it's worth exploring this topic and looking at it from a slightly different angle - how does the smartphone and phone affect the emotional and mental sphere of our children?
Smartphone for children, or the beginning of change
Parents of teenagers, school-age children, but also children under the age of 2, come in saying that their the child has withdrawn from social life, has fears and phobiasthat they have not observed before. I hear about how a child has become hyperactive or has got nervous tics. Parents often find fault with the school, their peers, sometimes suspect a developmental disorder, but it soon turns out that they come to us because they can no longer cope with their child's addiction on their own.
I was recently approached by a concerned dad. One day, while observing his 2-year-old son in the playground, he noticed that his child was probably not developing like his peers. He attributed his concerns to the fact that the boy had severely limited eye contact, did not speak in full sentences like other children, and that he was lost and unwilling to play in a group. The parents suspected that the child has autism spectrum disorders. After interviewing and meeting the boy, I had similar observations at first, however, the symptoms disappeared at times, which did not indicate a typical autism spectrum disorder. Were these symptoms of phone addiction?
I made specific recommendations to the parents of my little patient. These included the need to putting down the smartphonewhich, as it turned out later, the little boy even received for a few tens of minutes in his cot to fall asleep on his own. The parents followed the recommendations and we met again at Kids Medic after a few weeks. As it turned out, the child started to be more curious about the world, was more willing to go out, was calmer and, after a while, even speech improved. Amazing, isn't it?
The parents of this 2-year-old reacted in time. A later reaction could carry serious consequences for the child's delayed development.
Nowadays, there are plenty of opportunities and ways to spending creative time with your child. Smartphone should not be used even for a short while by small children, because the younger the child, the quicker he or she can become addicted.
Phonoholism - what is it?
Name phonoholism has now entered the vernacular. It is nothing more than smartphone addictionwhich is on the rise and affecting increasingly younger people. It is an example of behavioural addiction, which until now has been seen as a behavioural disorder, or conduct disorder, but it has recently been discovered that can also cause permanent changes in the brain.
A recent study indicates that the brain of an adult addicted to the telephone bears similar damage to the brain of drug addicts. Sounds serious, doesn't it? That's why it's worth keeping an eye on our children and reacting early. Times have changed and we need to add to the list of dangers lurking in our children's minds addiction to smartphones and computers.
I even believe that this item should be at the top of our parental list of "evils of today's world". Because what good is it if we teach a child to cross the street so that he or she doesn't fall under the wheels of a car, if on the other side of the street he or she falls into the snare of electronic addiction?
What could be the consequences of children abusing smartphones?
The smartphone was created as a tool for adults, but excessive use can lead to serious problems! In the past, the phone was only used for long-distance communication. Nowadays, although it still fulfils this function, through access to many other applications it is a tool for our daily work.
So if a child sees and observes us adults who are constantly "on the phone" (because we have to check our email, write an email to a friend, because we are reading an important article - there are plenty of excuses, aren't there?), the likelihood that the child will copy our behaviour increases. Negative effects of addiction may include physical, psychological and social problemswhich is particularly dangerous for developing children.
So let's consider whether we ourselves are abusing the phone if we want to protect our children from doing so. The later our children receive their smartphones - the better. It goes without saying that a smartphone for an infant should be completely prohibited!
What are the dangers of children using the phone?
Allowing a child to watch a cartoon on his or her phone in order to patiently endure, for example in a waiting room for a doctor's appointment while we have to fill out a stack of paperwork, does not seem harmful. However, it is worth remembering to keep this time as short as possible and to control the content being watched. Independent access to online channels for pre-school and early school age children - this is far too early. Which content can be viewed, which is allowed and which is categorically forbidden - this is material for a separate article, as it is also a very broad topic.
It is worth remembering that watching cartoons, films on online channels by the youngest children, especially on a smartphone, and the addiction to online channels by older children and smartphone addiction in adolescents can cause:
- 👉 delayed speech development,
- 👉 disorders of the social sphere,
- 👉 difficulties in dealing with emotions,
- 👉 trouble with self-regulation,
- 👉 lack of focus of attention,
- 👉 trouble learning new skills,
- 👉 Nervous tics,
- 👉 depression,
- 👉 anxiety disorders,
- 👉 panic attacks,
- 👉 ...and even suicides!
Therefore, dear parents, observe carefully whether even your teenage children use smartphones correctly. Your reaction time is of paramount importance!
What behaviours indicate that a child may be addicted to the phone?
More and more children of primary school age already own smartphones because it has become so accepted in our culture. Often pupils who do not have a phone are socially excluded by their peers. There is nothing wrong with having a 'mobile phone', but children should be taught to use it appropriately.
Too many images, colours, the fast pace of changing frames, plus the sound - it's a huge stress on the nervous system of young children. I sometimes see children on a walk in a pram with a smartphone in their hands, and I also hear from patients that a child of less than 2 years old is given a phone in the cot to fall asleep with a story! This is a huge mistake!
If a child uses a smartphone for too longwill become increasingly tired, distracted, reluctant to take action, irritable and, after a while, will have difficulty sleeping, doing homework, meeting school and pre-school obligations.
Behaviour of children addicted to smartphone is disturbed in many ways. This addiction is extremely insidious and as it continues - it intensifies.
Children who are in the initial stage of addiction behave like any other healthy child. Over time, however, they begin to avoid eye contact, peers, preferring to spend time in their room or lock themselves in the bathroom where they have access to their phone. They replace their favourite outdoor activities with "bushwhacking" on the internet. Children who have previously struggled academically are starting to get worse grades and sometimes even truant.
In order to successfully overcome addiction, it is important to understand the problem, be consistent in treatment and have the support of loved ones to increase the chances of success.
How do you help an addicted child? Seek support!
Don't you, dear parents, feel that we too are already addicted to the phone? I encourage you to observe our children and how they react to their use of the phone. Don't hesitate to make the decision for your child to put the phone down so that they can develop healthily!
Offer them alternatives - activities that not only take them away from their screens, but also develop their creativity and interpersonal skills. Sports, hobbies, get-togethers with friends or even simple family walks can be a great opportunity to spend time together and show children that there is a fascinating world beyond the smartphone screen.
Let us remember that, as parents, we have a huge influence on what habits our children form. Only we can protect them from the serious consequences of phonoholism. If you need support in this area, please visit Kids Medic - places where specialists are passionate and committed to helping parents and children cope with the challenges of the modern world. Learn more about how to effectively care for your children's mental and emotional health and how to build healthy habits that will benefit them for a lifetime. Together we can create a better and healthier environment for our children!
