Adverse effects and addiction
Today I will not fluff up my article with an introductory rant but will jump right into the topic. It is about an incident that happened just the other day in my household and jolted me into writing about this topic.
Reading articles and watching the news about the harmful effects of social media disturb us for a while, we acknowledge the facts for some time, but we forget about them instantly until it hits home.
And that's what happened to us!
They are between the ages of five and three. Every other weekend their mother drops them at my place for grandma time and some fun activities. It happened on one of the days my granddaughter came to spend a day with me.
Both parties wait anxiously for the playdate at grandma's house, and the crux of the meetup is going to the park, followed by ice cream. This time around, I noticed both girls were not interested in participating in crafts or doing small chores for grandma.
All they wanted was to watch youtube videos on TV. This was strange because my daughter had a strict time curfew for the girls to watch media. I told them to stay put until we came back from the park.
After a tiring day at the park, I made ice cream sorbets for the girls and asked them what they wanted to watch?
They wanted to watch a children's youtube channel named Roma and Diana. I complied and put that channel on for them. As the girls were immersed in the show, I sat beside them with a book.
Suddenly I heard something strange, and my eyes swiveled towards the TV, where I saw two kids around the same age as my granddaughters demonstrating a challenge game.
Both children were presented with natural everyday objects like a phone, a pen, a teapot, a cup, a saucer, and chocolate replicas. They would put both items in their mouths to check which was real chocolate. I was horrified when they presented a light bulb and a colander.
Imagine a two or three-year-old watching the video and putting these items in his mouth. The video was choreographed and supervised by an adult without considering the adverse effects it would have on little minds.
I was offended and worried by the wrong message conveyed by the person who orchestrated the whole video. Undoubtedly, the kid's participation was minimal, as they just acted their part. Still, biting on dangerous items like a light bulb and a colander could seriously harm a child.
After considerable research, I found many shows, games, and websites creating content that is dangerous for the well-being of children. These shows have millions of subscribers and blatantly produce such material without any check by the parents or the websites they put their content on.
Evidence suggests that media's impact on children is related to how much time they spend watching television.
According to a survey, the amount of time younger North American children currently spend watching television has increased significantly. Many children begin watching media at an earlier age and in more significant amounts than experts recommend. Due to prolonged screen time, the world is shown on television, or other social media portals become the real world for children.
A Canadian child spends 14 hours a week in front of a screen, so by the time they are in High School, the time spent in front of the screen would exceed the time spent in a classroom.
After having a family talk with my daughter about the unsupervised screen time, the little girls were having, and we discussed the pros and cons of watching content on television or cell phone.
Other factors that contribute to harmful effects on children are:
Laziness
Indulgence in watching shows, playing video games, and even learning websites has decreased the physical activity of the young ones substantially. Children nowadays prefer being stuck inside the house with their eyes glued to the screen compared to when there was less access to media.
Being lazy results in many health issues, including obesity, mood swings, irritability, and being isolated from others.
Poor posture
Our youth is developing poor posture due to the excessive use of cell phones, which later leads to having a hunchback. Bad body posture is one of the leading health problems causing muscular and joint pain, reduction in cardiovascular activity, decreased vital capacity of the lungs, degenerative bone, and low back pains, as well as the displacement of the internal organs, are just some of the consequences of untreated incorrect body posture.
Addiction
Parents need to consider their part in getting their children addicted to social media. A parent or caregiver is a role model for the little one watching and imitating all the moves their elders make. Don't expect your child not to be glued to the screen when you are leading the way.
An article in The Telegraph quotes child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Hayley Van Zwanberg of the Priory Group said,
“Children are totally immersed in a virtual world which is damaging both to the way they see themselves and the way they perceive the real world; some young children are finding it hard to unpick reality from fantasy.”
Mental illnesses
Social media has proven a vital cause in the rise of mental dysfunctions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, disrupted sleep patterns, and memory loss.
Poor academic performance, loss of concentration, isolation, and obsessive behaviors are also reported in children attached to their screens.
“It’s not the same kind of connectedness that we might have had individually, one-on-one,” says Dr. Justin Schreiber, DO, MPH, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist at UPMC and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Cyberbullying
According to the International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, cyberbullying increased tremendously during Covid-19 due to more screen time for children and teens staying indoors.
According to the journal, 1 in 3 children globally has been victimized in the preceding month. The victim is usually a child perceived differently by others based on body type, ethnicity, or abilities.
There have been cases where children harmed themselves or committed suicide after being bullied by others. With the take over of our lives by the cyber world, bullying crimes are rising as you can ruin someone's life with the click of a button.
Socio- economic implecations
When a toddler, pre-schooler, or school-going child watches videos of a luxurious life of a social media star, living in a house full of toys and luxuries, they want the same for themselves.
I witness children copying the language, style, voice, and gestures of the social media icon they follow. They want the same toys, lifestyle, and environment created in the 3 to the 4-minute video clip. Unaware of their family's financial status, these children demand items such as motorized cars, expensive remote control toys, valuable dolls, etc., costing hundreds of dollars.
In case of refusal by the parents, children show aggression, guilt-mongering the parents, whining, and crying.
Readers, please don't get me wrong. I am not against letting your child have some fun screen time, but supervision and moderation are essential.
