” electronic devices and children’s health have had a powerful correlation in recent years. However, electronic devices have made life much easier and have become a source of income for many people, saving us time, etc. Moreover, they also have a very negative impact on health, especially for young children. Whether it’s a laptop, mobile phone, or video game, these devices emit electric or magnetic waves that are very dangerous to the human body. They can harm overall health. Many young people who spend excessive time playing video games in the same room are diagnosed with serious physical health and other psychological issues. Therefore, children should be discouraged from excessive use and protected against modern technology’s harmful effects.”
Following are some other side effects of electronic devices and gaming.
Decreased physical activity and poor oral intake:
sitting in the same place for a longer period affects and limits physical activity, which further leads to obesity and social isolation, Children sitting all the time in the same place do not burn their calories, food already eaten takes time to digest. This further leads to decreased appetite and poor oral intake, which may further impact the physical development of the child.
Stomach and indigestion problems:
Our digestive system functions optimally with regular exercise. Prolonged periods of lying or sitting can hinder digestion, leading to headaches and constipation, ultimately affecting child growth and development.
Impact oral communication:
Studies have shown that children under 5 years old who use mobile devices or watch TV screens may develop mental health issues such as autism. They may also experience speech delays and behavioral irritability. Additionally, elderly individuals and adolescents may have poor communication skills due to decreased interaction with others.
Stress and anxiety:(Electronic devices and children’s health)
Winning or losing in games can stress out a child. In this situation, the human body releases hormones. When these hormones exceed their limits, they can affect other body systems, such as the brain and the heart. This can lead to high rates of hypertensive episodes in children at a very young age. Furthermore, if these episodes become recurrent, a child may be at risk of having a heart attack in their 30s.
Less tolerance level:
Children become irritable and become isolated in their rooms with their devices. So, they have less interaction with other members of the family. This may impact their understanding level of others and cannot tolerate another person’s opinion.
electric and magnetic fields: (Electronic devices and children’s health):
As cancer has developed very aggressively in recent years, one of the reasons might be due to exposure to unnecessary magnetic fields or electric fields. As discussed above electronic devices have a blooming field surrounding them with invisible rays. These rays affect health and could be a cause of cancer in young children.
Gait or posture problems:
Children addicted to games and devices do not love to go out with friends and family. Rather than prefer to sit in the same place and the same posture, a child might have an affected gait. Problem As in growing age children need more physical exercise for their physical development and strong bones, but due to lack of activity gait and posture could not develop properly. Most children suffer from spine deformity due to sitting in constant posture in front of a screen known as kyphosis. ( the upper back becomes curved).
Social isolation:
If a child is controlled by a gaming device, he or she may not be able to interact properly with his/her surroundings, which leads to social isolation. This further leads to stress and anxiety and on a severe level can lead to depression and other mental problems.
Wastage of time:
As every person has a schedule of 24 hours a day, the hours should be divided for studies, physical health, social health, and some other healthy habits. However, using mobiles or other devices such as online gaming disturbs the whole schedule. Furthermore, it leads to time wastage.
Hyperactive brain:
Mobile addiction or other gaming devices have an impact on brain signals. Children become hyperactive while playing games. The faster influx of unnecessary information into the brain makes the brain hyperactive, which leads to sleep problems, irritability, and overthinking. Such emotions lead to emotional misbalance of mind and body. This may further lead to attention deficit in children. Too much pressure on brain cells can also lead to memory problems and thinking ability.
Weakens eyesight:
Looking continuously at sharp screens exerts pressure on the eyes of a person, which leads to eyesight problems which may further lead to migraines and headaches. That may further lead to financial medical expenses for parents.
Poor concentration on studies:
Children focusing on games and other media have poor school performance. This is due to lack of concentration on studies, wastage of time using devices, disturbed physical health and mental health due to poor sleep due to long night hours playing games poor oral intake, and other unhealthy routine. These all impact a child’s performance at school.
Ethical considerations:
Exposure to media at every age can impact children ethically. Most of the children use annoying words in their language as they do not know their meanings but use them in their vocabulary.
How to prevent children from using electronic devices?
Every parent wants their child to be healthy both mentally and physically. It is the parent responsibility to take control over their children and protect their health from environmental factors. Parents must realize the potential risks and benefits of the electronic devices before purchase. If already you have allowed your child then monitor the use time. Always make a routine and look after your kid’s physical and mental health and behavior. If you notice any change in his/ her habits must stop using the device.in this way, you can control. Furthermore, engage your child in outdoor games.
