In this day and age, the question of whether there has been a noticeable rise in the number of children using electronic devices and whether it is a positive or negative development is a controversial discussion. While this trend is driven by several factors, I believe this phenomenon is creating detrimental health outcomes for children.
On the one hand, it is undeniable that the increasing number of children using technological devices does not bring many benefits. One of the main reasons for the high smartphone usage among youngsters is the increasing importance of virtual activities in education. In today’s world, there are many applications or programs in electronic devices that are very effective for students, which are for development and research purposes. For instance, we can mention Gemini, which helps children deal with programming difficulties and learn how to code a game. In addition, students are required to research and submit assignments online, and technological devices are the most accessible and convenient tool to accomplish these tasks. This trend was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when parents and children often used their telephones for teamwork and remote learning.
On the other hand, children using electronic devices in today’s world also pose many drawbacks. Their prolonged use can cause negative effects on children’s health. Their harmful impacts on children’s health can harm two aspects: excessive time spent on electronic devices can damage children’s eyesight by exposing them to blue light and leading to a sedentary lifestyle. Moreover, when children use telephones or tablets for a long time, they will lose their independent logical thinking. For instance, in this day and age, we have an app called Chat GPT, which provides answers for children when they encounter difficulties. Despite knowing that research is good, children rely on this app and do not think about solutions to handle their problems.
To summarize, while many children are using electronic devices for practical reasons, I believe that this trend will have several drawbacks and few positive effects on them.