In today’s era, smartphones have become an important part of our lives. The situation is such that even 1-year-old children get happy seeing a mobile, and we parents give them smartphones to keep them busy. It has become common to get children their smartphones at the age of 11-12 years when they insist. But have you ever thought about how badly the excessive use of smartphones and social media from an early age is affecting the mental health of our children? Its effect is visible when they grow up.
New research has recently highlighted this serious problem. This study shows that children who use smartphones and social media day and night are more likely to have deteriorating mental health when they grow up. This is really a worrying issue on which we should pay attention immediately.
Smartphones and deteriorating mental health
This important study has been published in the ‘Journal of Human Development and Capability’. This conclusion has been drawn by asking questions to more than one lakh young adults aged 18 to 24 years. The young adults included in the study were asked several questions related to their mental health, such as:
Do they feel aggressive?
Do they feel isolated from everyone?
Do they have hallucinations, that is, they feel such voices or things which they cannot see or hear?
Do they have suicidal thoughts?
The most shocking thing is that the condition of mental illness is worsening every year in children who were given smartphones at an early age. Especially in those children who got smartphones before the age of 13, the problem was found to be much more serious.
The effect of smartphones on mental health at a young age
When children get their smartphones at a very young age, whether they are girls or boys, many symptoms related to mental illness are seen in both:
Such children were found to have low self-image and low self-esteem.
Girls who got smartphones at a young age were found to have less confidence and emotional stability.
On the other hand, boys were found to have a lack of stability, empathy, and a feeling of calm.
A media report expressed its opinion on this subject and said, “The younger the age at which children get smartphones, the worse it is. Their exposure to the digital world increases, and this psychologically affects their thinking and their way of looking at the world.”
Social Media Influence
The authors of the study said that the use of social media is a major reason for the difference in the mental health of boys and girls. Cyberbullying on social media, lack of sleep, and stress in family relationships also have a bad effect on mental health.
The researchers have even advised that the use of smartphones and social media should be completely stopped for children under the age of 13. Along with this, they have also talked about promoting digital literacy, so that children learn to use the Internet correctly and safely.
Not giving smartphones to children is the right decision.
In the true sense, children should avoid using smartphones and social media till the age of 14. Tyagarajan also said that parents should openly discuss with children about the way they interact with people on the Internet and the consequences of doing many things. Parents should teach children to use smartphones properly so that they can utilize their benefits and avoid their disadvantages.