Can we imagine a world without technology? Can we live without our smart phones now? Gone are the days when it took trunk, ISD, STD calls (well that’s primitive and extinct now) to talk to friends abroad? The world is shrinking and so is our brain, which is getting more and more dependent on technology with each approaching day, making it function slowly. With the advancement of digital technology, inordinate screen time has become a grave concern.
Looking at the brighter side of technology, how it was a boon in the two years of the pandemic; it is affirmative that technology is here to stay, even in the education sector, as an enabler to learning.
As a measure to curb the pandemic, the government enforced online classes and work from home culture, which resulted in excessive screen time and built global societies under a roof. The only medium to stay socio- emotionally connected then, was the digital one.
Impact of excessive use of technology
Its impact is widely experienced and exhibited now i.e. post-pandemic, especially in the case of children.
Impact on Physical Health: Children showed low physical activity levels, less outdoor time, higher sedentary behaviour that included leisure screen time, more sleep and increased risk of myopia during the coronavirus outbreak.
Many original studies indicate excessive screen time has adverse health effects in the long run, such as physical health symptoms like eye strain, sleep disturbance, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, as well as mental health problems ranging from lack of concentration, obsession to diagnosable mental illness such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficiency hyperactivity complications.
Now is the time when children and adolescents must go back to learning, playing and socialising offline or else children will be in the grip of digital addiction, making it impossible to come out, hampering their physical and emotional growth.
NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) has reported a magnificent increase in mental health cases in children. Likewise, clinics around the world are swamped with parents for their child’s treatment for digital addiction. In a ‘Save the Children survey’, 25,000 people across 37 countries in 2020, children reported higher rates of violence when schools were closed compared to when attending class in person.
It is pivotal to address this issue as quickly as possible, both the parents and educators.
Children ape the elderly:
Children are the second generation of mobile users. It’s the elderly who were exposed to this gadget in the beginning and they find it interesting and helpful. Hence, they got insanely addicted to the mobile phone and children aped their parents and elders.
Send children to offline schools:
Schools have opened up; it is a request for parents to start sending their children to school following proper precautions and protocols.
Set up time limits for electronic gadgets:
Just as children follow a study timetable, they should also be encouraged to make a tech-time-table where they can use their gadgets in a stipulated period of time.
Engage in physical sports:
Children love playing outdoor games. Parents should encourage outdoor games for children. Make them join sports training sessions. Neighborhood ground sports should also be promoted.
FOMO is just a term:
The 2nd generation of mobile users wants to be connected to the world 24X7 and have a fear of missing out or FOMO developing. Trust me, you will not miss out on anything in a few hours, so stay away from your device.
Rules of home:
Make some house rules. No entry to mobiles in the dining room or the bedrooms to spend quality time.
Embrace nature:
As John Muir said, “Keep close to nature’s heart and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” Once you connect with nature, your spirits go free and your mind goes open, let the children spend some time gardening, take them on treks, walks, in the lap of nature.
Children are the future of the nation. Let’s take care of them together, let’s nurture them as new-born, let’s walk hand in hand with them, let’s further understand and trust them. They are the miracles of the world.
Source: This article was first published in India Today
