We now know that these tablets, phones, and video games are a form of digital drug, with the addictive effect affecting the brain's cerebral cortex—its executive function and impulse control—much like cocaine, elevating levels of dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter). Screens are called "electronic cocaine" (Whibrow, P.; UCLA), "digital heroin" (Chinese researchers), or "digital pharmakeia" (Greek for the drug, US Navy).
Why are parents, designers, and engineers the most cautious? Why was Steve Jobs a notoriously low-tech father? Why do Silicon Valley executives and engineers enroll their children in non-tech Waldorf schools? Why did Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page attend non-tech Montessori schools, as did Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Wikipedia founder Jimmy?
Exposure to such devices causes changes in:
- Children... their play becomes less creative and experimental, losing attraction to objects, their interests diminish, and they lose interest in playful relationships, toys, and nature. Difficulty sleeping and maintaining attention appear due to hyperarousal. Even worse, we find apathetic children who are bored, unimaginative, disinterested, and unmotivated when they are not connected.
- Families... aggression and tantrums occur when devices are taken away and attention dissipates when children are perpetually unstimulated. And this extends to parents, who are the primary role models. They relate less and worse to their children, are semi-present in family moments and relationships, and communication deteriorates profoundly.
- Their future… Hundreds of clinical studies show that screens increase depression, anxiety, and aggression and can lead to psychotic traits due to a lack of contact with reality. It has been proven that children who spend more time in front of screens have more attention deficit problems. This is because there is a region in the emotional brain, called the "striatum," that evaluates the activities to which attention should be directed based on the intensity of the stimulus and how quickly it satisfies. This is how it decides which activities we should pay more attention to. With these devices, the brain becomes accustomed to receiving intense stimuli and immediate satisfaction, so it will be less likely to want to pay attention to other, less intense activities, and they run the risk of becoming addicted.
Clinical studies on adolescents detail that they have found it easier to treat drug addiction than addiction to phones, video games, or social media. Children ages 8 to 10 spend 8 hours a day using various digital media, while teenagers spend 11 hours in front of screens. One in three children is using tablets or smartphones before they can even speak (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013). This is no easy task in our current technology-filled society where screens are omnipresent. A person can live without drugs or alcohol, but digital temptations are everywhere.
What do we do as parents and from home?
The key is prevention—keeping your 4-, 5-, or 8-year-old from getting hooked on screens. That means Lego instead of Minecraft; books instead of iPads; and nature and sports instead of TV—until they're at least 10 years old (or maybe even 12).
Avoid using electronic devices at home as much as possible, whenever you're with the family: establish a family cell phone parking area, eat with your children without any electronic devices at the table, keep them quiet, and avoid using them as digital babysitters. Talk to your children without devices in hand. Remember: "Most children hear what you say, some even do what you say, but all children do what you do."
Depending on your children's level of exposure, it's quite possible that they may feel disoriented, bored, and tired, lonely and unable to connect to real-life experiences. We as adults are also experiencing this situation, and together we must revive creative activities to reconnect family relationships.
While a child is using a tablet or watching TV, they are missing out on other activities necessary for their development. It has been proven that children under 2 years old's brain needs direct interaction with real people to develop language and other cognitive, social, and emotional skills. And from age 2 onward, the main negative effect of technology is that it takes away time from physical exercise and hands-on activities, in addition to the attention and motivational aspects described above.
How to make responsible use of technologies?
On the other hand, we cannot deny that we are witnessing a social change with new technologies, so to prevent this excessive use, children and adolescents can be provided with tools to make good use of them.
Play with them and share what motivates them, share emotions, learn together, and get to know each other better. Place devices in the common area to avoid isolation and informally observe their behavior. Inviting friends to play is always a better option to understand how they interact. Schedule usage times, ensuring a balance between all the activities, and always determine their end before starting to make it easier to gain commitment. Discuss the internet in a critical and thoughtful manner, considering its pros and cons. Learn about content-limiting programs. Always suggest other leisure activities that motivate them.
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