With ever-changing technological advances, access to media and entertainment has never been easier. Indeed, we are surrounded by tools that encourage our presence on the web daily. However, be aware that any excess is not good, especially when it affects children. They are more and more addicted to screens, and this can be problematic as explained by Madame Figaro magazine.
This problem is rapidly gaining momentum
Far from being a sparse phenomenon, addiction to screens is now ubiquitous and affects a wide spectrum of users of smartphones, computers and televisions. The lack of moderation is therefore evident in the use of these devices, but the worst is that this problem is not only for adults, but also for children.
A reality that is even denounced by a British series created by Charlie Brooker in 2014, Black Mirror. This highlights a general and sickly dependence of modern society to different products of modern technology. A vision that is far from exaggerated or surreal, as more and more minors spend most of their time staring at a screen. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates limiting the amount of time a child between the ages of 2 and 5 can spend in front of a screen for only 60 minutes, which suggests that below this age, there's no question to let a child get used to such a mode of entertainment.
An American study published in The Journal of Sleep Medicinea has also been able to focus on this phenomenon, which has only been gaining momentum over the years by demonstrating that prolonged exposure to screens drastically disrupts the sleep cycle of a patient. child to the point of making him more inclined to sleep during the day than at night, a situation which is anything but favorable to the good development of his brain.
Various disorders can result
But that's not all, because another study comes to sound the alarm on this subject by bringing the observation that an intensive use of screens was at the origin of a longer speaking time in children .
As a result, this has been called "Screen Addiction Disorder," an addiction that is currently closely linked to Internet addiction.
This disorder is accompanied by inconveniences that can make a child's life more complicated, such as weight gain or loss, headaches, insomnia, vision problems or malnutrition. The consequences do not stop there since the child is affected psychologically and in this way, it is more difficult to control emotions such as guilt, loneliness or anxiety. A tendency to dishonesty can also occur after weaning. He will be more isolated and will not necessarily seek to make contact with others; he will also be more likely to experience emotional instability.
If you are a parent, you will probably have guessed it, this dependence must be treated like any other addiction, that is to say with a lot of patience, reflection but also help provided by professionals, that whether in psychology or pediatrics. It is therefore important not to be content with deprivation since it is far from the solution. Do things gradually and get your kids to interact with real life elements rather than pixels. Act thoughtfully and put rules in place before it's too late.
