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reational activities especially those use both mobile phones and comput- Similar is the story of another tech
on devices to minimise screen tim - ers while at work. But when it comes to couple from the city, Rohini and Sha-
ings.They should encourage outdoor their three year old daughter Wanika, mik, both working as senior executives
activities and encourage more human screen time is strictly limited. in a US based firm and even frequent
interactions for the well being of the “Call it an occupational hazard, but the country often for work. “Initially, we
children”. working in and around technology the enrolled our four year old daughter to a
whole day and sometimes at odd hours, fancy private school in Bengaluru, hop-
Silicon Valley scenario made us cautious for our daughter. We ing to get her the best education amidst
The parents working and living in the are well aware of the potential harm- a great environment. However, we had
Silicon Valley, California, which houses ful effects that technology can have to take her out of the school within a
some of the biggest names in the tech on our child and therefore we want to month after we realised that the school
world with a sizeable Indian work- avoid it for as long as we can”, echoed relies too much on technology-they
force, are already showing concerns the couple. had projectors in classrooms instead of
about usage of devices and technology. regular white/black boards; for recrea-
Having seen first-hand the potentially tions, the children were sent to the mini
harmful impact of technology on the • Screen woes Emotional or social problems theatre within the school for watching
children either through living or work- among kids are linked to screen addiction rhymes, cartoons etc. Even the home-
ing in the Bay Area, the work was to be done on
parents are following I pads. Since we have
in the footsteps of tech prohibited her from us-
giants who have set ing any device at home,
limits for their own chil- we did not want her to
dren for years. get access to screens at
In fact, a 2017 survey the school. The idea is
conducted by the Sili- to keep her away for as
while 73 per cent of Indian kids are • Time out Reduced screen time, according to phones for more than four hours in con Valley Community long as we can”, averred
mobile phone users. Of these, 70 per studies, is crucial for the wellbeing of children a day. On stopping the use of mobile Foundation in Califor- the couple.
cent fall under the age group of 7-10 phones, these children recovered nia, found among 907
years while 76 per cent are in the age completely. Silicon Valley parents Way forward
group of 11-14 years. screen time can permanently dull kids’ Dr Adarsh Kohli, professor of Clini- that despite high con- There is a complex re-
That’s not all. A study conducted last abilities to read nonverbal cues, ac- cal Psychology, at the Post Graduate fidence in technology’s lation between screen
December study by the University of cept delayed gratification, and actively Institute of Medical Education and benefits, many par - time, psychological and
Michigan, USA, suggests that how chil- engage with the world around them. Research (PGIMER), said, “Right from ents now have serious social health, physical
dren use the devices is the strongest Apart from how prolong use of one year onwards, children are hooked concerns about tech’s activity, and cognition.
predictor of emotional or social prob- screens adversely affect the function- to the screen. They eat while watching impact on kids’ psy - If all this gets you think-
lems connected with screen addiction. ing of the brain, a rather known ill the shows or videos and are engrossed chological and social ing, then you might
The study demonstrated that there is effect of the screen, is how it affects the in their own world. Parents do not development. want to revisit your
more to the problem than just the num- vision of the children. A study conduct- find a better way to distract them other Closer home, in Ben- own household’s rules
ber of screen hours. What matters most ed by the department of Paediatrics, than the screen. As one grows older, galuru which is also vis-à-vis letting your
is whether screen use causes problems Post Graduate Institute of Medical Edu- these children find other activities to known as India’s Silicon Valley and There is a complex children watch mobile screens or even
in other areas of life or has become an cation and Research (PGIMER), Chan- do with the devices such as playing Gurgaon, techies are also becoming computers for long hours. At the same
all-consuming activity, stated one of the digarh, revealed that excessive use of games on screens and thus get addict- more wary and are thus limiting or relation between time, you would not want your child
researchers of the study. mobile phone screen can lead to double ed to its use. Its addiction is common to even prohibiting the use of screens at to feel left out among his peers. So a
Some of the warning signs include vision and squinted eyes. children and adolescents alike. It keeps all for their children. screen time, fine balance is what needs to be
if screen time interferes with daily The study was done by the paediat- them away from social interactions and Instead most of these parents are psychological achieved here. Some handy tips straight
activities, causes conflict for the child or ric ophthalmology team at Advanced challenges of life. Unlimited hours on now enrolling their children in schools up from the tech giants can be followed
in the family, or is the only activity that Eye Centre (Dr. Savleen, Dr Manpreet, the screen makes them lethargic and which have very limited use of tech- and social health, too such as no mobile phones until kids
brings the child joy. Dr. Jaspreet Sukhija) which has brought less active. They eat junk food and sleep nological devices and instead focus on physical activity, turn 14, banning devices at meal times,
Take the 2014 study from the Univer- forward an unknown side effect of less. This all makes them moody and traditional methods of imparting edu- setting strict limits on screen time
sity of California Los Angeles that found excessive usage of mobile phones. restless. They cannot hold a conversa- cation such as using chalk and board and cognition. during weekdays. Last but not the
that kids who went five days without The study which was published tion for long and find it hard to focus on instead of e-boards, Google Chrome- Parents need to least, limiting your own screen time in
exposure to technology were much in the Neuro Ophthalmology Jour - other areas”. book etc for school work. the presence of children for they
better at reading human emotions nal recently shows that children aged She suggests, “It is very pertinent Saubhagya, a techie working in Ben- strike a fine balance imitate us afterall!
than kids who had access to televisions, between 8-12 years developed squint for the parents to exert optimum con- galuru and her husband Sathish- both between all
computers and phones. Too much and double vision after using mobile trol and should set timings for all rec- top executives in leading software firms LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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