Nowadays, a primary concern amongst parents constitutes their children’s excessive screen time, especially on smartphones. There are numerous reasons behind this trend. This essay attempts to explore some of these causes as well as presenting an argument suggesting the negativity of this development and its adverse effects.
The shift in the way youngsters spend time stems from drastic changes we have witnessed in the familial structure in recent years. Nowadays, a marked proportion of families, choose to have only one child, mostly due to financial restraints. One consequence of this policy is that these only off-springs are deprived of the companionship of siblings and, therefore, must resort to individual activities such as playing games on their phones or browsing the net for entertainment
Furthermore, unlike the past, when its was common for one of the parents, predominantly the mother, to stay home and help their kid participate in group activities, such as sporting and recreational ones, in various places like parks, clubs and classes, these days, most parents must both earn to be able to cope with the increasing costs of living. Consequently, today’s unfortunate kids basically have no choice but to spend time on their electronic devices, which offer countless attractive apps and programs targeted at children.
While smart devices, particularly mobile phones, can be greatly beneficial in contributing children with their lessons, by making access to the internet and real-time information ubiquitous, in addition to a wide array of gaming options, the downside, which is taking substantial tolls on the physical and mental well being of children, is the the excess of time spent on these devices. As a result of constant exposure to the small screen of a smart phone, the eyesight tends to weaken, leading to chronic health issues such as splitting headaches and insomnia, which are unprecedentedly common among children these days. On top of that, since spending time on smart phones has often replaced involvement in collaborating efforts and pursuits with one’s peers, most children fail to develop crucial social skills such as collaboration, effective interaction, and conversational competencies; thus, they are likely to find themselves unable to thrive in social settings later in life.
In summary, while smartphones have made life more convenient in a myriad of ways, we must be wary of the potential threats they could pose to the well being of children, who can easily fall victim to allures of modern technology due to both the constraints of modern life and the hard-to-resist appeals of smart electronic devices.