8 Major Health Consequences of Excessive Screen Time on Kids and How to Prevent It
A combination of humans and smartphones are no longer a controversial topic. Over the last few years, research (with facts and figures) on excessive screen time reveals serious health consequences on people's lives.
While talking about kids, studies, and the news is getting published frequently regarding the adverse effects of too much screen time. Hence, as parents, what precautions will you take?
Before moving forward with precautionary steps, let's see how too much screen time affects kids bodies and brains? Here's a look.
How too much screen time affects kids, bodies, and brains?
When kids use mobiles during bedtime, the radiation from the device interrupts the sleep cycle and can cause insomnia. Proper rest is required for the growth and development of body and mind.
Thus, it is advisable to avoid using cellphones while sleeping.
Too much screen time affects the power to focus on things, and hence, a scorecard of kids may steep down in academics. They may stop participating in co-curricular activities due to attention deficiency.
Excessive engagement in sedentary activities like playing games or watching TV can lead your child towards obesity.
4. Affects the cortical thickness:
Cortical thickness is the outermost part of the brain which gets affected severely to them who are addicted to devices. It leads to impairment of the brain.
5. Damages cognitive functioning:
Over screening can impact the brain functions in children. It damages cognitive functions, and the child may behave abnormally, remain irritated, and reduce their self-consciousness.
6. Frequent cravings and weakens dopamine functions:
Researchers have detected that dopamine is released while kids are glued to screens and that urge to check the device affects their brain nerves.
Obsession with phones can reduce the dopamine receptors, and cravings of smartphones are similar to drug cravings.
7. Prior learning of technology affects a child's development:
When your kiddos learn the use of technology before they can walk, read, or talk, it blocks their development. They cannot sense the touch, taste, or smell.
Too much screen time badly infects the eyes and even the surrounding portions of the body that includes:
Dry eye syndrome may take place if your children have a constant habit to stare at screens. It reduces the blinking capacity to 60 %. If this disease remains untreated, it may cause a loss of vision.
What precautionary steps will you take to protect your kiddos from excessive screen time:
A strict rule to unplug the devices during meals and bedtime:
Disallow the use of phones at the time of meals and sleep. Instead, talk on the funny and exciting topics on which your kids can provide their inputs and which in turn results in meaningful discussions.
Proper conversation can positively result in the brain development of the child as they can start speaking and sharing their ideas.
Go for parental control software:
The best remedy to heal your child from too much screen time is the use of parental control applications.
With parental controls, you can curb the usage of applications with the predefined time limit. Once the hour limit reaches its expiry, an app will automatically shut down.
There are other benefits too of this software that not only allows you to control the screen time, but you also permits you to supervise a child's online tasks.
Before your children become the victim of technological threats, ensure they are complete protection with the excellent screen time control app.