As digital devices — smart phones, computer tabs, laptops, gaming consoles, etc — become ubiquitous, children, especially adolescents, are increasingly becoming tech addicted with disastrous consequences. New research indicates that excessive on-screen time adversely impacts attention spans and creativity, limits social interaction and perhaps slows down the neural growth and development of children – Christobelle Joseph Birmingham (UK)-based furniture manufacturing company Babeek has a new 21st century gizmo to offer to the ever-growing, high-potential parenting products industry. Launched in November, it’s a specially designed baby cot with — wait for it — an inbuilt iPad! The designers, a young couple with a months-old infant daughter, say it’s ideal for stressed-out millennial parents as it emits ‘white noise’ — a special type of sound signal which suppresses distracting background sounds — to help infants sleep undisturbed. Customer response, however, has been underwhelming with numerous online consumers slamming the product for encouraging tech addiction from cradle stage. The child of the inventors of this £1,500 (Rs.135,250) crib isn’t a minority in the millennial generation that’s to-the-device-born; young, but certainly not the youngest to be raised on a diet of devices. According to Bangalore-based psycho-oncologist, Rhea Daruvala, who works with terminally-ill children, parents of infants as young as four months are using tech devices to distract their children. As digital devices — smart phones, computer tabs, laptops, gaming consoles, etc — become ubiquitous (according to a Unicef Child Online Protection in India Report 2016, 134 million children in India have access to mobile phones and the Internet), children, especially adolescents are increasingly becoming tech addicted with disastrous consequences. New research indicates that excessive on-screen time adversely impacts attention spans and creativity, limits social interaction and perhaps slows down the neural growth and development of children. A recent study conducted by Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, SHUT (Service for the Healthy Use of Technology) clinic promoted by the prestigious National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, indicates that 73 percent of adolescents who use digital tech devices report dysfunction in one or more daily life activities. Adversely affected activities include sharply reduced interaction with friends (74 percent), academic performance (66 percent), sports (64 percent), engagement with relatives (61 percent) and social gatherings (55 percent). “Tech dependence within children and adolescents has reached alarming levels. I treat at least ten tech addiction cases every week. The teen years are the most productive age when children are expected to show academic and other achievements. But with adolescents becoming increasingly preoccupied with mobile phones, tabs and other devices, they are losing interest in academics and social activities. For teenage children with such behavioural changes and academic under-performance, parents often seek professional help but tech addiction of younger children is usually unchecked. Parents, teachers and schools need to collectively and urgently address this ballooning problem,” warns Sharma. As awareness of the detrimental effects of excessive exposure to computers, smart phones, tablets, gaming consoles, etc is increasing, alarm bells are ringing within the parent-teachers…
