Smartphones and Children

Children from the age of 8 years are using smartphones regularly and there are concerns about the effects this is having on mental health and behaviour.

Pros and Cons of Smartphones

Accessing to the internet can support young people's education and social activities.  They can open up a world of information which can expand their horizons and knowledge of the world around them. They can help parents to know their children are safe with ‘geo tracking’, and can get in touch in an emergency. 

On the down side, they can also make children restless, be addictive time wasters and used as a means of keeping children occupied during social activities.  How often have you seen a child on an iPad or iPhone at the dinner table when it would have been good to be encouraging conversation?

Smartphones can distract children from taking part in other real-world experiences and activities e.g., playing football and hiking.   The result is that many young people find it difficult to socialise with people face to face and use the phone as a coping mechanism to avoid talking to people.

A dangerous usage of smart phones is the increase in cyberbullying.  The younger generations are easily targeted and vulnerable.   We’ve all seen and heard about the use of smart phones for online grooming where young people are tricked into unsafe activities, causing distress and mental discord.

Prolonged exposure to smartphones can result in poor sleep, increased anxiety and depression and addictive behaviours. 

On average people check their smartphones at least 58 times a day

Many children are struggling to focus on their studies and have reduced attention span as a result of over use of smartphones and social media.  Reading longer text has become difficult as it becomes too much information to process after using chat and text formats from a younger age.

What can be done to reduce over usage of smartphones by young people?

Parents have been using apps like Tappity App to keep an eye on what their children are doing online on their phone. This helps prevent children from expressing themselves negatively on social media and browsing on topics they not ready to be involved in. 

Although smart phones open opportunities for learning and good communications, a good balance between virtual living and real living where people converse and interact with each other is essential for a healthy well-balanced outlook.

Some groups of parents and teachers are getting together to pledge a ban on providing smartphones to young people under the age of 16 years in the UK.  What are your thoughts on that idea?