Smartphone addiction and its implications on our children

There’s no getting around it. Smartphones, tablets, gaming devices, and televisions have all become permanent fixtures in our homes, hands, classrooms, and offices. Screens allow us to communicate quickly, complete administrative tasks, snapshot moments, and when utilised well, equip us with tools to help wind down at the end of a busy day.

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While we would never denounce the technological advancements of the 21st century, addressing the impact it’s having on our overall health is fast becoming a priority. Screen management balances on a fine line between productivity and complete overload. Screen addiction in adults may come at a cost to our health and overall wellness, but the biggest cost is to the health of our children and their future.

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The effects of COVID-19 saw screen time implemented more than ever. Schools quickly pivoted to online learning methods, whilst businesses offered ‘work from home’, or ‘hybrid’ working models. An investigation published in 20221 found during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in screen time of 52%, with screen time increases highest for individuals aged 12 to 18 years.

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Research released in 2022 from Camp Australia2 reveals Australian children’s emotional wellbeing, screen time and lack of socialisation continue to be the highest concern for parents and school leaders in the aftermath of COVID-19. Unproductive screen time was reported the highest concern for parents (42%), with one third of parents stating unproductive screen time had worsened over a 12-month period.

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Against all the societal norms, unavoidable touch-points and increasing social pressure, the fact of the matter is this: The responsibility of screen addictions falls on us, the parent. Expectations are pre-set from birth. Camera phones are shoved in the faces of minute-old babies as we document with the intention of sharing online. It continues as our children, smile, walk, talk, laugh, and very quickly becomes an immutable fixture in their reality.

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We set the tone every single time we tap, grab, swipe or simple hold our phones. We are not complete, without our devices, yet we expect our children to adhere to some narrative we whole-heartedly dismiss? Our teenagers are becoming incapable of being disconnected. Social media addictions are rife through-out homes and its impact is proving detrimental to the mental health of everyone involved.

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When it comes to phone use, it is imperative boundaries are set early and self-awareness remains top of mind. Establish rules for acceptable phone use, and the rest, file under ‘mindless scrolling’; the point is to be intentional. Introducing a ‘no-phone policy’ for life’s busy moments (dinner and bath time), will ensure productivity is high, and attention is where it should be.

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It is never a parent’s intention to set poor examples or reinforce unhealthy behaviours. However, we are the driving factor behind what adult functionality looks like to a child. Children are extremely impressionable; their minds malleable. It is up to us to set healthy examples for our children, and importantly, it is never too late to start.

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REFERENCES:

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1.?????Too much time on screens? Screen time effects and guidelines for children and young people | Australian Institute of Family Studies (aifs.gov.au)

2.?????Child Impact Survey 2023 | Camp Australia