Are you also giving that smartphone to your child? Read it before you do it again

As a parent, it can be tempting to give your child a phone. After all, it seems like everyone else is doing it. Look anywhere and you might find 8 in 10 children with their eyes locked endlessly on their phones’ screens. It is done mostly by parents to get some free time for themselves. But before you make that decision, you should know the facts. As someone who has seen the effects of phone usage on children firsthand, I can tell you that it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.

The science behind it

Numerous studies have shown that excessive phone use can have negative effects on children’s development. For example, a study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children who spent more than two hours a day on electronic devices had lower cognitive and language development scores than those who spent less time on screens. What does it mean for your child? It means that your child might not speak well enough, might be antisocial, and might perform poorly in life.

Another study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that children who had more screen time had lower levels of white matter in their brains. White matter is important for language, literacy, and cognitive skills. In other words, excessive phone use can actually affect the physical development of your child’s brain.

I’ve seen firsthand the negative effects of phone use on children’s behavior. Children who spend too much time on their phones often have trouble concentrating, have poor social skills, and may even become addicted to their devices. The result? You get a mentally retarded child who behaves oddly when fully grown and doesn’t know how to behave.

What Happens When You Give Your Child a Phone?

When you give your child a phone, you’re essentially giving them unlimited access to the internet, social media, and other potentially harmful content. Now, you can’t be around your child every minute; this makes it impossible to control everything they see and do on their device. Most children do not reveal what they see on their phones because of the fear of their phones being taken away from them. It is important that you gain their trust before giving them the phone. But this is not all.

Phones can be incredibly distracting. If your child is constantly checking their phone, they’re not fully present at the moment. This means that as they grow, they might be absent in their immediate environment; it could be a party, a function, a group discussion, etc.

What You Can Do Instead

Phones are very new to us humans; before this, we have had millions of other healthy ways to keep children entertained. Be hesitant to give your child a phone, especially when your child is not fully grown. There are plenty of other ways to keep them entertained and connected. Encourage them to read books, play board games, or engage in outdoor activities. If they need to communicate with friends, consider setting up playdates or using video chat services that you can monitor. Buy them books, toys, baby & kid stuff, etc. from sites like Shopify and gift them a healthy childhood.

And even if you choose to give phones to grown-ups, set limits on screen time, regardless of whether or not your child has a phone. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children between the ages of two and five have no more than one hour of screen time per day, and that children over the age of six have consistent limits on the amount of screen time they have.

While it may seem like giving your child a phone is the easy solution, it’s important to consider the long-term effects. Excessive phone use can have negative effects on your child’s development, behavior, and physical health. After all, your child is your responsibility and not your phone.