Addictive use of digital devices on the rise among children

Hyderabad: Addiction to digital devices and social media apps is on the rise, particularly among children, adversely affecting their mental and physical health.

According to psychologists, the phenomenon is widespread and has been on the rise since the outbreak of the pandemic. Terms like mindless scrolling (of reels and tweets,for example) and its cure — ‘digital detox’ — have become trendy terms. In fact, all villagers in Mohityanche Vadgaon in Maharashtra’s Sangli district practise digital detox for one-and-a-half hours every day from 7 pm to 8.30 pm, during which time they do not use electronic devices.

The practise of parents giving their toddlers phones or other digital devices to get them to calm down or eat food is becoming more common. Parents may see it as an easier alternative, but it is more detrimental to the children. Dr Anitha Are, clinical psychologist at Bhaskar Medical College, stated that when toddlers spend excessive time looking at devices, it causes their speech area development to be delayed. “As a result, the child becomes irritable and throws tantrums. Parents hand over their phones to their children to calm them down. As a result, the child gradually loses interest in talking and struggles to understand emotions. "As a result, when children who have been exposed to electronic devices during their formative years attend school, they may have no idea how to interact with other children or whether the teacher is happy or sad," she explained.

Such habits have an impact on the child's physical well-being too. Feeding the child while he or she is watching or playing causes the child to overeat, which can lead to obesity. Diabetes in children is on the rise, and this could be one of the reasons, she says. Dr. Anitha blamed the parents as well, saying that this practise is so common that nearly one in every two parents engages in it because they lack the patience and time to calm down the child.

Dr. Sudha Bala, assistant professor at ESIC Hospital, claims that up to 70% of the patients she sees have issues with spending too much time on their phones. She claims they spend at least four hours a day on their phones, with WhatsApp being the most popular app.

Dr. Bala co-authored a paper based on a study that found that more than half of the city's youth were suffering from psychological distress as a result of phubbing — a term derived from the combination of the words 'phone' and 'snubbing,' in which people ignore the people around them because all of their attention is focused on their phones.