Are IPads & Cell Phones Damaging Your Kids’ Health?

We are living in an era of technology. Wherever you go, you can see everyone staring at his/her phone. Don’t get it wrong. These are not only the adult Millenials. But children are equally on the same page. A recent LinkedIn survey shows young adults and children pick up 86 times in 24 hours. That is a lot! What is more gruesome is that kids spend 14 hours – on average – staring at the screens of their iPads and mobile phones. Whether playing video games or scrolling mindlessly on social media, they spend most of their time staring at their screens.

Helena / Pexels / Extended screen time is injurious for the overall well-being of children.

However, a recent study from the University of South Australia shows that extended screen time could potentially damage kids’ health. Essentially, the study tallies two groups of children: The first group of children is the one who spends their spare time on extracurricular activities. They play cricket or football, walk in the park, and engage with their peers. Thus, they spend the vast majority of their day off-screen.

Kids Who Spent Most of Their Time on Screen Show Reduced Well-Being

On the other hand, the other group of children is the ones who would lay on their couch and spend their spend time on their phones and iPads. They would play video games, watch movies, or scroll on social media.

Julia / Pexels / Vision loss and weak eyesight are the most damaging drawbacks of staying on screen for an extended period of time.

Based on the comparison, the study concludes that the first group of children – who spend their in extracurricular and physical activities – are physically fit, proactive, healthy, and more productive than the second group. In contrast, the other group of children – who are more into online stuff and spend the vast majority of their days on-screen – are less healthier and less productive.

Side Effects Excessive Screen Time

Likewise, kids who spend most of their time on screen are likely to develop certain diseases, unlike the first group. Some of them include:

• Weak eyesight and even vision loss in the long run.
• Mindlessness and state of perplexity.
• Depression and anxiety.
• Low self-esteem and lack of self-belief.
• They become introverts without even noticing it.

Julia / Pexels / Kids who spend most of their time on screen are likely victims of low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.

Notice that all these negative aspects of long screen time affect the well-being of children in the long run. Apart from the physical damages, it also gives birth to mental decline through anxiety, stress, and depression.

Similarly, children develop their own reality of the external world by spending most of their time in front of digital screens. In other words, they wrongly assume that the actual world is what they see on their screens – which is not true by any means. Consequently, they succumb to failure and disparities as they meet the real world.

With that said, it is on the parents to look after their kids and give them proper teachings while bringing them up to this era of technology. This does not mean your kids should not have access to phones and iPads. But there should be limitations and boundaries. Excess of everything is bad, as they say.