Smartphones and their wide range of applications are the most used device in the world, the daily number of hours spent on these devices by the kids is very large, although those devices are very helpful, I think this is a negative development, and there are many points to defend this argument.
The main reason behind this case that smartphones especially by kids is that they provide children with continuous entertainment, while they are not mature enough about the consequences of this high consumption, for example its negative effect on their eyes and on their mental health. At early stages of their life, they should be developing skills using another source of entertainment rather than the artificial one. Parents should be aware of how their children grow up and how they learn and entertain.
While mobile phones can be very helpful for them because of the various application that can be used to learn about language and math for example, but smartphones can backfire at their learning process. Most of the apps nowadays are made with AI algorithms ensure that humans can continue use them for as long as possible. I think it’s better for children to spend more playing games that can develop them physically and intellectually, playing football, riding bikes, or skateboarding for instance.
Overall, it’s not a criticism about smartphones, but it’s a message for parents to be more aware about their children and how much time they spend on smartphones, phones can be helpful, but parents should regulate how much time they are being used.