Spending a considerable amount of time on mobile phones is an often occurrence among the juvenile population. The reasons for this might vary, depending on who you ask, but the main one is clear – modern phone games and video entertainment apps are quite addictive for a young mind. The subsequent disconnect from reality and shortened attention span make it hard to consider this development beneficial.
Creating addicting content for children has been a priority for an entire part of the internet, especially on Youtube, where most youngins spend their time. Videos with myriads of colors, featuring beloved cartoon characters are definately attractive for the underdeveloped brain, making it difficult or, in some cases, even impossible to look away. Same goes for phone games – interactive content with the afformentioned abundance of color can be extremely engrossing to a child. We also must consider the lack of parental control as a factor – with more adults allowing their offsprings unrestricted screen time no wonder more and more children might spend their downtime consuming content specifically targeted to them.
The implications of this modern development are certainly major. With most of their time spent in front of screens, some juveniles might loose the ability to build authentic connections with their peers or family, narrowing their circle of interest to screen time only. The inability to participate or be genuinely be interested in a hobby stemms from the same reasons. Additionally, children’s attention is always engaged, while they’re using their mobile device. However, the same cannot be said for the real world, where not everything is tailor suited to have the most enjoyable experience, leading a child to have a short attention span.
Overall, it is very easy for juveniles to spend a lot of time on their devices, considering an abundance of content made specifically for them. I believe it is hard to understate how detrimental prolonged use of mobile phone is for the young mind, creating the environment, where they are unable to develop fully.