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Recognize the Signs of Gadget Addiction in Children and Learn How to Overcome It

Gadget addiction should not be taken lightly because this habit will adversely affect their health in the long run

By Neo NatsuPublished about a year ago 7 min read
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Recognize the Signs of Gadget Addiction in Children and Learn How to Overcome It
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Undeniably, the evolution of gadgets that have evolved around you in recent years does make life practical and easy. So it's no wonder that today, gadgets are already the main necessity for every human being, including maybe you, one of them. Not a few people feel very dependent on gadgets and can’t be kept away from this one technology at all.

Gadgets are frequently used as a powerful weapon for parents to keep their children calm and at home. Unfortunately, if this is done too often, it can actually cause the child to become addicted to gadgets. Gadget addiction should not be taken lightly because this habit will adversely affect their health in the long run. Check out how to recognize a child’s signs of gadget addiction, the possible impact, and how to stop it.

Signs of children addicted to gadgets

By Jessica Rockowitz on Unsplash

According to a study published in the journal of the International Child Neurology Association, addiction to gadgets can be experienced by children at any age. This also applies to children who are in elementary school or elementary school.

One of the hallmarks of a child addicted to gadgets is that he can almost never ‘break away’ from gadgets. For example, he always picks up his gadget when waking up and eats at a table with his eyes glued to the screen. Activities done with gadgets can be diverse, such as playing games, watching YouTube videos, or simply opening an app.

This disorder can cause a variety of physical symptoms such as sleep disturbances, back pain, increased weight loss, vision disorders, headaches, and nutrient disorders. The child will easily feel anxious, often lying, having feelings of guilt, and a sense of loneliness.

In fact, not a few of the children addicted to gadgets choose to isolate themselves, often experiencing agitation and very rapid mood changes.

As a parent, you should start to be careful if your daily family activities can’t be followed by children because they can’t be separated from their gadgets. For example, children are reluctant to go shopping weekly, reluctant to have dinner together, and lazy to make cakes together, because the child does not want to pass his activities with gadgets.

This indicates that your child’s focus is only on the gadget. This situation is not good for your child’s development and may be a sign your child has become addicted to gadgets. The signs and symptoms of your child’s addiction to gadgets are:

  • The fun of playing gadgets
  • Uncomfortable behavior when not playing with gadgets.
  • Keep increasing your gadget play time.
  • Failed to reduce or stop playing with gadgets.
  • Lost interest in the outside world.
  • Keep using the gadget despite knowing the negative consequences it will have.
  • Lying about the length of use of gadgets to parents
  • Use gadgets to divert feelings.

The impact of gadget addiction on children

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You certainly realize that playing with gadgets can take hours. In fact, you can spend a whole day with gadgets during the holidays. This certainly makes you unproductive, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not just adults. Apparently, kids can experience the same thing.

Letting a child play with gadgets without rules can make the child addicted. The variety of games and interesting things that exist on gadgets can keep you hooked on playing them. Children addicted to gadgets tend to withdraw from the environment and are busier with their gadgets. When you ask them to stop playing gadgets, they will resist, get angry, and go berserk.

Please be aware that gadget addiction in children will adversely affect their health. When playing with gadgets, the child will not care about visibility, posture, and light settings. It can decrease eye health, cause pain in the body, and even make the child inactive.

Children are supposed to be actively moving, exploring the environment, interacting with friends their age, but instead they are busy with gadgets. If it continues, the child’s ability to socialize does not develop. So, gadget addiction can affect the physical health as well as the soul of a child.

In addition to behavioral changes, physically, there may be changes in the child’s brain if he or she is addicted to playing with gadgets. Because this gadget screen is related to changes in the brain region that serve to control emotional processes, attention, decision-making, and cognitive control.

From the MRI examination, it was seen that some parts of the child’s brain related to impulse settings underwent changes due to the continuous use of gadgets over a long period of time. In addition, "insula", or the part of the brain that develops empathy and compassion towards others, is also impaired. This explains how children who are addicted to playing with gadgets have different behaviors than other children.

Tips to stop a child from being addicted to gadgets

Although the use of gadgets has a poor influence, it is undeniable that gadgets are a tool that supports daily activities such as communication, information seeking, learning, entertainment, and others. The role of parents is important to keep the use of gadgets in the child's life balanced and not excessive, so as not to cause gadget addiction in the child.

You can follow several ways to help your child escape from the following gadget addictions.

1. A good example

Children learn from the environment around them. If parents play gadgets while babysitting, the child will definitely follow the bad habits of using this gadget. If you want to reduce gadget play time, then you should also be able to set the time to use gadgets wisely.

Don’t let you ban the child from playing with gadgets, but you yourself still keep sticking to the gadget. Your ban will certainly not come to fruition, and the child will continue to be addicted to the use of this advanced tool.

2. Limit the use of electronics

There is no denying that in the modern era, as it is today, the use of gadgets can be beneficial for children. However, as a parent, you should still supervise and limit your child's use of gadgets.

For example, give 1—2 hours a day for children to use gadgets. You can also accompany the use of it, so that the time you give the child is not abused. This might help you prevent your child from becoming addicted to gadgets.

Then don’t put gadgets away carelessly. Store it in a place your child doesn’t know, so the child can’t pick it up and play it easily without your permission. Make sure the children’s bedroom area is also free of gadgets.

3. Increase activities outside or indoors.

Increasing children’s activity indoors or outdoors can grab the child’s attention and make them forget about gadgets. You can take the child for a morning run or bike ride on holiday, take the child to cook together, or visit a relative’s house. Do whatever activity keeps the child active again.

Let the child play outside so he can express himself and use his eye contact well. This is done not only to help shape his interpersonal skills, but also to help him develop his motor skills and creativity.

4. Be assertive

It is difficult to deal with when children are addicted to gadgets that make them tantrum. Remember, you have to stay firm to apply the rules you just created to limit gadget play time. Don’t let yourself be compassionate with the cries of a child who wants to keep playing with gadgets.

Children require time to detach from gadgets, so reducing gadget play time in children should be done gradually rather than abruptly.

5. Seek the doctor’s help.

If the above steps do not have their maximum effect, it could be that the child will experience depression and anxiety. That means you have to consult a doctor. The doctor will provide you with the best way to help you calm your little one down and reduce his addiction.

6. Do not provide gadgets if they do not need it

Not a few parents make gadgets as a "sedative" so that the child does not interfere with the activities of the parents. At certain moments, this may be inevitable. However, if in fact, the situation can be handled without the help of gadgets, it is best to avoid this route.

Too often, we use gadgets as a method to calm the child as if it were plunging the child into the habit of using gadgets. Of course, this could lead to addicted children using this advanced tool.

During parenting, you are advised as much as possible to avoid gadgets as sedatives. You can have your child draw on paper using a variety of colorful pencils, as opposed to drawing on a smartphone or tablet.

You can also take your kids to play with blocks, cardboard, Lego, or other toys. Most children should be encouraged to interact directly with children their age.

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About the Creator

Neo Natsu

"One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible" ~Genghis Khan~

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