Most parents these days take the easy way out to keep their child entertained without acknowledging the idea of how much technology can affect early childhood. It has become more common to witness parents handing their children an electrical gadget in order to shut them up while having a meal in public. There are a few negative effects this bad habit can cause a child.
According to Cris Rowan, a pediatric occupational therapist, technology can not only affect a child’s growth but also the relationship of a family. Families used to spend quality time together as they use mealtime as an opportunity to speak with each other and maintain a good relationship. After the emergence of technology, families are accompanied by television or some other form of gadget rather than bonding with their loved ones.
Terrible Eye Sight
The amount of time that children nowadays spend on these gadgets is very bad for their eyes. Even for an adult, it can be just as harmful. It is known that training your eyes on the screen of a device is very damaging for eyesight due to the blue light from it.
Spending too much time on such devices can cause severe short-sightedness and it will only get worse from there. It is never pleasant for a child to suffer from poor eyesight. Having bad eyesight would mean that the child is required to wear spectacles in order to see. This could also be an issue that lowers a child’s self-esteem.
But having bad eyesight is only one part of it. If it gets worse, it can cause visual impairment. Something like this has already happened before, a child was forced to get eye surgery due to the effects of spending too much time on the phone.
Short Attention Span
When a young child gets the opportunity to experience playing with something as fascinating and interesting as an electronic gadget, it becomes very hard to hold their attention once they start attending school. Nothing else seems to be as exciting as the magical screen where all of their favourite shows and games appear on.
Things like boring toys or playschool lessons can no longer capture the attention of a child who’s been exposed to such advanced technology. This can affect their learning process in school or later in life. Nothing else can ever be as entertaining as the smartphone, TV or tablet at home.
This issue is not only going to affect the child’s learning in school but also the development of a relationship with their parents. How can a parent bond with a child when all they want to do is spend time watching their favourite cartoon or playing the fun game on your phone?
Bad Behaviours
Once a child had been exposed to the wonders of this technology, it becomes an addiction. They would want nothing but their tablet or smartphone. When they don’t get what they want, they cry, scream and kick. This shows that the use of technology has caused children to develop bad behaviour.
They start growing very impatient as though they cannot live without the device. Children start getting annoyed at the slightest things if you try to get them off their gadgets. It can be hurtful when you’re only trying to care for them but they get upset over you separating them from their precious devices.
It would be good to remind your child that you are the one who bought them the gadget and that you can and will confiscate the device for good if they refuse to behave. The point is that we should prevent this from happening while we still can.
It is not wrong to go to these gadgets for entertainment once in a while. But it is important that parents are aware of how harmful it can be for children and make sure to limit the time they have access to these things. Parents should also avoid letting young children use these things if possible. Toddlers are easily entertained and they can be calmed down in many ways other than using technology.
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