Smartphones have a negative impact on kids, suggests study

Kids these days are mostly found glued to screens of smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs. A new study found that an average American kid uses electronic media for roughly nine hours a day. While technology has contributed towards making our lives easier and efficient, the negative impact it has on a child’s growth is of growing concern especially for parents. Exposure to unhealthy content has many times been linked to several detrimental health and behavioural consequences such as aggression, depression, drug use and sleep disorders. Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University calls this generation the, ‘iGen,’ and states that they are far more psychologically vulnerable than one can imagine.

"It's not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades," she writes in a story in The Atlantic, adapted from her forthcoming book. On the basis of years of research, spending time with other people in person is believed to be among the best predictors for psychological well-being and one of the best protections against having mental health issues. However, since today’s teens spend less time with their friends in person, and more on electronic mediums, it becomes far more difficult to guess what is going on in their minds and subsequently safeguard them against prevailing mental issues. “They're more likely than young people just five or 10 years ago to say that they're anxious, that they have symptoms of depression that they have thought about suicide or have even [attempted] suicide. So across the board, there's a really consistent trend with mental health issues increasing among teens,” says Twenge.

According to a research conducted by the Pew Center recently, the pattern of loneliness among teens suddenly begins to increase around 2012, and given that majority of American teens had a cell phone by the end of 2012, the reason for the same remains explained. “You can't absolutely prove causation, but by a bunch of different studies, there's this connection between spending a lot of time on electronic gadgets and feeling lonely,” Twenge explains.

Parents are worried about the wrong thing

“So I was somewhat surprised when I interviewed iGen teens how many of them are deeply aware of the negative effects of smartphones,” says Twenge. She concludes that parents are more worried about their teens acting reckless outside of home, such as drinking with friends, but disregard the negative impact electronic devices have on their child’s experience. Experts feel that parents should keep media screens in family areas so that a child’s media usage is monitored. “Parents need to be models for their children. While we’re all embracing these great aspects of digital devices, parents have to strike a balance, turn them off and spend real time with their children,” says Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Moreover, there are many apps that enable parents to limit the number of hours a day that teens spend on smartphones. While electronic devices provide students with multiple opportunities to access content and engage with curriculum, giving them access to real world experts solving real world problems in real time will make their learning experience much more relevant.