Online Reporter
Sheron Gomera
Whether we like it or not, digital devices are everywhere. Some can barely put them down, even when with cherished family and friends. While these devices can enhance learning and build community, they can also interfere with everything, from sleep to creativity, especially in children.
Almost all children in urban areas in Zimbabwe have access to the television, cell phones or tablets. Children spend more time on screen than socialising with other humans.
Screen time can be defined as the duration of time that is spent with any screen such as phones, video games, televisions, computers, laptops and tablets.
According to research in developed countries, more than half of the population’s children have their own personal tablets before entering pre-school, and 1 in 4 children have their own smart phones by age 8.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that children spend up to nine hours per day on screen.
These numbers may not be far off from the Zimbabwean situation where one sees a child holding a phone or tablet while using public transport, in church, supermarkets, clinic and where ever they are.
The questions that arises is, who is buying these gadgets since children do not have the capacity to get to the shops and buy themselves the gadgets. Who is raising the children as they are always glued on the screen? At what age should a child be introduced to screen time? What effects does the prolonged screen time have on children’s brain and development? In Psychology, behaviorists believe that children are born a tabula rasa which translates to blank slate.
The theory believes children are born with their mind as a blank slate, which gets filled in by the stimulus around them and their behavior is shaped by experiences. From this, we learn that whatever the children are exposed to shapes who they become.
This is from their values, culture, language and interests in life. Children learn through socialisation with family, peers, community and now social media. Since they spend more time on the screen, it means children are basically being socialised and raised by the internet.
Nowadays many children below the age of three years can operate a tablet or cellphone better than adults and parents interpret it as intelligence. This is scary as it means that the children are becoming technologically more advanced than adults and can access harmful sites that adults don’t know.
Screen time and cognitive development
Excessive screen time stimulates the brain’s reward system, causing a flood of dopamine that can lead to media desensitisation, cravings and addictive behavior, making other activities less pleasurable. It disrupts emotional regulation, reduces focus and motivation. The brain’s reward pathways become less sensitive requiring more stimulation to achieve the same dopamine rush, a cycle that contributes to behavioral dependence on screens. This is terrifying because it has the same effect as drugs, making children increasingly addicted to screens. Over time, more stimulation is required to achieve the same dopamine “rush”. This is why children struggle to transition from their devices or become frustrated when the screen time is limited.
When the devices are taken away, the children project withdrawal symptoms like tantrums, aggression and suicidal ideation.
This contributes to a new pandemic called internet addiction disorder. Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is characterised by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges, or behaviors regarding computer use and Internet access that leads to impairment or distress.
Screen time and language development
The early years of childhood are crucial for acquiring language skills and children develop various aspects of language, including vocabulary and phonology in early childhood.
Children who spend most of their time on screen tend to have delayed speech development. When they start to develop speech, they tend to speak in a robotic manner imitating the cartoons they see on screen.
Children are not born with any linguistic information in their brains. In fact, they start off with a completely blank slate onto which experiences, words, and phrases are written onto. Children learn through exposure to language around them as well as reinforcement from others.
Language is learned as a response to a stimulus. It is a process of imitation where children attempt to copy what they hear. Children also learn through feedback, with a positive response encouraging their use of an utterance and negative feedback discouraging it. This is not available on screen as it is one way communication.
Social and emotional development
Screen time has been linked to depression, anxiety and aggression in children. Most parents are afraid to take away the television remote or change the channel of cartoons from their bundles of joy as little as two years as the child will have uncontrollable tantrums or become aggressive. Computer use and video gaming have shown to relate to more severe depressive symptoms.
The lack of in-person connection can contribute to social withdrawal, anxiety depression and agoraphobia (fear of engaging in social situations)
Physical effects
Excessive screen time is linked to poor diet, obesity, vision problems and poor sleeping patterns. Many adults grew up playing outside more often and only coming to watch the television from 4PM to 6PM of which after that it was regarded as adult prime time. This used to help with physical health and obesity was rare in children.
Nowadays, we have children being diagnosed with hypertension at the age of 10 years due to lack of exercise. Children are always glued to their tablets or television. Excessive screen time also contributes to vision problems with young children wearing prescription glasses at toddlers’ stage.
Risks
Children who spend more time on a screen which is connected to the internet risks being exploited through cyber bullying, child trafficking, pornography and emotional abuse, sexual grooming and forced to commit suicide.
Interventions
*Parents should delay buying their children personal cellphones and tablets.
* Children below the age of two years should not be exposed to screen time.
* Screentime should be limited and monitored by parents as children cannot make rational decisions to control themselves on screentime.
* Children should be encouraged to play outside the house, be in touch with nature and be encouraged to do physical play.
*The screen time discipline begins with the parents as children learn from what they observe around them.
*Sheron Gomera is a registered psychologist, child behavioural and educational therapist.
