36% of children addicted to mobile phones, pandemic to be blamed

36% of children addicted to mobile phones, pandemic to be blamed
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36% of children addicted to mobile phones, pandemic to be blamed

Highlights

During the Covid lockdown, the use of mobile phones given to children for learning had become an obsession. A survey has confirmed that 36 percent of children in the state are addicted to smartphones

Bengaluru: During the Covid lockdown, the use of mobile phones given to children for learning had become an obsession. A survey has confirmed that 36 percent of children in the state are addicted to smartphones.

Due to the excessive use of smartphones, 18 per cent of children have developed diseases such as depression, insomnia, irritability, lack of concentration, physical problems, obesity, vision problems, memory loss, and nervous weakness. Concerned parents are going to the hospital for treatment.

There has been a huge increase in the number of children visiting various websites and watching obscene videos on mobile. 35 per cent of children aged 13 to 19 are addicted to watching pornographic films/videos. 15 per cent of children visit porn sites frequently and spend a lot of time watching them.

While 98 per cent of the children addicted to pornographic videos are boys, less than 0.50 per cent are girls. This may encourage children to engage in acts like sexual violence. Negatively affecting social relationships, school performance, sleep. Pediatricians say it is fatal for mental illnesses in children.

During the lockdown, the parents had given smartphones to the children for learning the school curriculum. However, over the past 3 years, its excessive use has made children addicted. At present, 40 percent of children aged 9 to 13 and 50 percent of children aged 13 to 17 are using mobile phones more than the limit. In urban areas, children aged between 9 to 17 years are stuck in the vortex of video, gaming and social media and are unable to get out. Now parents have expressed concern about the future of children and have come to a decision that an age limit should be fixed for using smartphones.

The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) conducted a survey on mobile phone addiction in children. According to this, mobile screen should not be shown to children below 5 years of age. 5-7 year old children can see mobile for a maximum of 1 hour per day in stages. 7-12 year olds can watch mobile, laptop, TV for a maximum of 2 hours. It has come to light that it will have an impact on health if it is seen in more than this specified time.

Excessive use of mobile phones can reduce brain function and lead to depression. Dr KS Sanjay, director of Indira Gandhi Children's Health Institute, said that diseases such as obesity and low body mass index are common.

Children who are addicted to smartphones suddenly find it difficult to get out of it. Thus, parents can encourage them to engage in other activities that they like and gradually keep them away from mobile addiction, said Dr HS Virupaksha, psychologist.

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