The impact of smart devices on children's health

Children have eye exams at Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital.

When children are "addicted" to the internet

Due to busy business, Ms. LTT's family in Hac Thanh ward leaves their child at home alone to actively study. When the child finishes studying, they can watch iPad. They thought that this was a safe way to help their child stay away from bad friends when their parents were away. However, recently, Ms. T. noticed changes in her child. From a cheerful and active girl, L. (Ms. T.'s daughter) now rarely talks to her parents and often "locks" herself in her own room. Many times, Ms. T. took the initiative to talk and be close to her child, but L. always avoided meeting them and often used her phone to surf the internet and text. Thinking that her child was in love, Ms. T. and her husband decided to take away her phone and were surprised to receive negative reactions from their daughter, such as: refusing to eat, staying in her room, not talking to her parents...

“Seeing that my child was mentally unstable, I took him to see a doctor and the doctor diagnosed him with a mental disorder, showing signs of uncontrollable behavior, suspected to be due to frequent use of smart devices for a long time. For a long time, I thought my child used the phone to serve his studies, but I don’t know when he became attracted to technology and social networks, which has greatly affected his health. Currently, my family is accompanying my child to overcome this difficult period,” Ms. T. shared.

Ms. LTT's story is not unique. Ms. NTH, in Thieu Quang commune, is also in the process of helping her child quit being "addicted" to the phone. Ms. H.'s daughter is 3 years old this year. Previously, because her child was lazy to eat, she let her child watch her phone during every meal. She even turned on cartoon channels to let her child sit still and not be naughty. However, recently, Ms. H. saw her child's eyes blinking continuously, so she took her child to the doctor and the doctor said that her child had visual syndrome and accommodation disorder due to the effects of constant exposure to smart devices.

Ms. NTH said: “At first, when playing or eating, I did not let my child watch the phone, he also reacted strongly, such as crying, lying down, refusing to eat... After that, I resolutely limited my child's watching the phone. Sometimes I use the iPad as a tool to support my child in learning English and enhancing his ability to move, thereby creating an environment for him to play comfortably and healthily."

Unforeseen consequences

It is undeniable that smart devices such as phones and computers help children learn and explore the world around them. However, using smart devices too much, without guidance from relatives, children are easily exposed to "dirty" information and images, making them susceptible to social evils; even affecting their health, related to eye problems, insomnia, damage to the skeletal system, obesity, skin inflammation problems, weakened immune system...

Sharing about the impact of smart devices on children's eyes, Dr. Hoang Hoa Quynh, Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Thanh Hoa Children's Hospital, said: "Letting children use smart devices for many hours continuously makes their eyes susceptible to myopia, especially at primary school age. Children blink less when looking at the screen, causing dry eyes, eye strain, accommodation disorders, and blue light from the screen inhibits melatonin, making it difficult for children to fall asleep, sleep lightly, affecting their sleep."

From a mental health perspective, Dr. Hoang Thi Huong, Department of Women's Health, Thanh Hoa Mental Hospital, said: "Many children use smart devices to the point of forgetting to eat, forgetting to sleep, reducing the need for sleep, leading to nervous tension, anxiety and nervousness that can be considered a form of mental illness. Children feel anxious when they do not have their phones by their side, leading to serious health and mental problems, which can gradually cause depression and anxiety."

Dr. Hoang Thi Huong also added that when children spend too much time on smart devices, they will easily become virtual, do not like to go out and interact with people, so it is difficult for them to integrate into society. Excessive use of smart devices also causes children to lose concentration, which is the reason why their learning is reduced and they neglect their studies. Some children even imitate negative behaviors online, easily causing behavioral disorders such as aggression, irritability, destruction, and screaming when their requests are not met. In many cases, they can even become agitated or hyperactive, which if not intervened in time can cause a state of psychosis...

It can be seen that using smart devices too much will affect children's health. Therefore, to help children not "glued" to smart devices, parents need to set an example and talk openly with their children about the harmful effects of abusing smart devices; set limits on phone usage time and strictly enforce the rules and severely punish children when they violate the rules. In addition, families should encourage their children to participate in extracurricular activities in and out of school so that they do not have much "free" time to think about online games, thereby studying hard and exercising to improve their health.

Article and photos: Thu Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tac-dong-cua-thiet-bi-thong-minh-den-suc-khoe-cua-tre-253956.htm