In recent years, people have observed the advancements in technology and both its positive and negative effects on its consumers, specifically children. For example, electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets have become indispensable for many children today. Although some programs, applications, and games installed in these electronic devices might bring educational value to kids and help them to open up their intelligence, parents should limit their children’s time on electronic devices because too much time on these devices could be detrimental to their children’s physical health, social skills, and the quality of school work.
To start with children’s physical health. Children are affected strongly by their health, which causes so many negative results for themselves. The more they use these devices, the less physical activities they do. Furthermore, the more sedentary some children are, the more likely they are to snack more. Over time, these habits can lead to significant weight gain and cause them to lose their desire to step away from the screen and do any sort of activity. As a typical example, according to Meegan (as cited in Ebbeck et al., 2015), eight-year-old children who are being treated for headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and poor posture spend too much time on screen time using mobile phones (p. 128). Having too much screen time can also make children’s eyes are easy to get strained, causing them to suffer from eye diseases such as blurred vision, eye fatigue, eye dryness, or discomfort. To illustrate an example, as stated a in study by Rechichi et al. (as cited in Lissack, 2018), “Children who were playing video games more than 30 min almost every day experienced headaches and dizziness and eye strain. Transient diplopia and refractive errors (e.g., short-sightedness) appeared mostly in the dominant eye, eventually resulting in loss of fusion” (p. 152). Moreover, as reported by French et al. (as cited in Lissak, 2018), “Children who spend less time outdoors are at a greater risk of becoming myopic. Furthermore, the effect of time outdoors can reduce and largely negate, the causes of myopia development, such as in extensive near-work, i.e., screen viewing” (p. 152). These are the results of glaring, using poor lighting, and especially improper viewing settings that children do. While children are in their developmental stage both physically and mentally, which is essential to ensure children develop good health habits. Furthermore, allowing children to use electronic devices too often can negatively affect their sleeping. Especially when they use them right before going to sleep, exposure to a bright screen still stay in children’s brain even after they have stopped using the devices. As evidence for this, according to Cheung et al., Figueiro and Overington, Falbe et al., and Cajochen et al. (as cited in Lissak, 2018), “Evening and nighttime exposure to bright light and blue light emitted by self-luminous devices may suppress melatonin production, affect the timing of melatonin production and, consequently, cause circadian disruption” (p. 150). To clarify how blue light affects children’s sleeping quality, Yeager (2017) stated, “The normal blue light emissions from the computer screen also affected how much of a sleep-related hormone each volunteer made. Called melatonin (Mel-ah-TOE-nin), it tends to make people feel sleepy. Our bodies usually secrete it into the blood around 9 p.m. When our bodies make less melatonin, we may still feel too alert at bedtime to fall asleep when the body is tired” (para. 2). It is important that children get a full night’s sleep, otherwise, it can have a negative impact on their mental and physical health. Therefore, limiting the time of usage of the phone, tablet, TV, or computer can help prevent health problems from arising now and in the future.
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In addition, using electronic devices too often can also cause a negative effect on their social skills. This can weaken the ability of children to operate their brains and result in behavioral issues in social settings. There are many symptoms such as “There are some hints for structural brain changes, which also may hurt one’s executive functions in planning and reasoning and increase risk for impulsivity leading to a person’s loss of control over Internet use” (Young & Abreu, 2017, para. 4). Children can become more and more passive in their classes and public in general, possibly even around people they should be comfortable with, such as family and friends. Accordingly, they find it difficult to get along with surrounding people. Besides, they also have difficulty developing emotions the same way as other kids would if they spend too much of their time on screens and not enough time being engaged in outside activities with the community. Over time, kids become isolated and feel extremely alone; for this reason, it is easy to suffer from some psychological issues. As stated by Healy (as cited in Ebbeck et al., 2015), some negative effects of using computers too often include irregular sleep patterns, behavioral issues, focus and attention problems, decreased academic performance, and a negative impact on socialization (p. 128). Moreover, the longer parents let their children use these devices, the more likely they are to abuse them and become addicted. Just like any other addiction out there, it can be really hard for individuals to cut back or want to cut back on their addiction. Young and Abreu (2017) both pointed out, “An addictive use of the Internet is linked to functional brain changes involving parts of the prefrontal cortex, accompanied by changes in other cortical (e.g., temporal) and subcortical (e.g., ventral striatum) regions” (para. 4). Therefore, trying to strip a child of screen time can make them become aggressive. The best solution due avoid this is to reduce their time before it is too late.
Along with unhealthy conditions and children’s social skills, using digital devices for a long period might affect the productivity of their school work negatively. This reason makes them have falling grades because too much screen time can make students feel lazy and make them lose their ability to initiate and take care of any responsibilities they may have. Thereby, they also become to neglect their responsibilities in school work, and their studying quality is declined naturally. Not only the downward academic performance in class but also losing the concentrative ability in their school work also create a lot of negative effects on children, which causes the inadequacy of sagacity for creativities individuals. According to Dunstan et al. (as cited in Frank et al., 2017), they are often left with hours of homework to complete after school, during which they will also be sitting consistently. These long periods of sitting in class may have not only a detrimental effect on students’ health but also their learning due to increased fatigue, loss of focus, and productivity (p. 476). Moreover, when kids are not on their electronic devices, all they are thinking about is getting back on them, what they are going to do when they get on them, and maybe even what they are missing when they are not currently on them. Owning to relying on their machines a lot, children apparently lose the independent working capability in not only the school but also the working environment in the future. Therefore, not only parents but also children need to be aware of screen time of using technological devices in order to develop their own self toward positive goals soon.
In conclusion, the three most negative effects on children’s use are as a warming message to their parents as well as school. Restricting children’s time with electronic devices, no matter what they use those devices for, will positively affect their lifestyle both mentally and physically, as well as help with their social relations and decrease their dependence on these devices. Children do not have to eliminate their time on these devices, they are just reasonable and dedicate certain amounts of time to each aspect. It is understandable if they need it for research, but they do not need to be on it all day playing games. Technological devices are in everyone’s best interest that screen time be limited to get the best version of oneself.
References
- Ebbeck, M., Yim, H., Chan, Y., Goh, M. (2016). Singaporean Parents’ Views of Their Young Children’s Access and Use of Technological Devices. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 44(2), 127- 134. Retrieved Mar 20th, 2019 from Complementary Index Database.
- Frank, H. A., Jacobs, K., & McLoone, H. (2017). The Effect of a Wearable Device Prompting High School Students Aged 17-18 Years to Break up Periods of Prolonged Sitting in Class. Work, 56(3), 475-477, doi: 10.3233/WOR-172513.
- Lissak, G. (2018). Adverse Physiological and Psychological Effects of Screen Time on Children and Adolescents: Literature Review and Case Study. In Environmental Research, 149-157, doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.015.
- Yeager, A., (2017). Evening Screen Time Can Sabotage Sleep. Science News for Students, 2. Retrieved Mar 13th, 2019 from Primary Search Database.
- Young. K. S., Abreu, C. N. D., (2017). Internet Addiction in Children and Adolescents: Risk Factors, Assessment, and Treatment. Retrieved March 15th, 2019 from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.eztest.ocls.ca/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=3d0b1a24-ffa2-4dbc-8fb8-c92f1e902e7b%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=1526360&db=nlebk
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