Pediatricians Give 8 Reasons Why Children’s Phone Use Should Be Kept to a Minimum

U.S. and Canadian Pediatricians believe that children should have very limited contact with all electronic devices. This includes tablets, smartphones, computers, and laptops.

• toddlers from 0 to 2 years of age should not be exposed to electronic equipment at all,
• children ages 3 to 5 should be allowed to use a tablet for 1 hour a day
• and children and teens ages 6 to 18 should limit mobile device use to 2 hours a day. Although in the case of teenagers, it's a real battle against windmills 😉 .

Children have been using portable electronic devices since a very young age, a study has confirmed. Meanwhile, according to Canadian pediatrician, therapist and speaker - Cris Rowan - parents should not give phones and tablets to toddlers who are not yet 12 years old. He proves that all electronics are highly harmful for them.

Lack of exercise, watching TV, computer games make children rarely leave home and have little physical activity. As a result, they suffer from obesity. Europe is already catching up with the US, the fastest growing weight unbalancing country is Poland. Every fourth boy and every third girl aged 5-9 years in our country is overweight.

Parents often don't control what their children watch on tablet screens. Meanwhile, games where aggression or violence appears can cause similar behavior in toddlers. The youngest become restless and start having tantrums.

Children who use computers all the time can become addicted to them. This usually happens when parents pay very little attention to their children and escape into the virtual world themselves.

Inorganic use of electronic devices contributes to anxiety, psychosis, depression, movement disorders or even bipolar disorder in children. Up to 44% of youth is suffering from depression.

The human brain grows until the age of 21. However, its greatest growth is observed among children up to 2 years of age. During this period, brain stimulation by electronic devices does not affect the toddler's development well. He may have problems with attention, learning. Memory disorders and tantrums are common.

Electronic devices provide toddlers with a lot of stimuli. This makes children less attentive, unable to focus, suffer from memory lapses and concentration disorders.

Children who use phones or laptops in their bedrooms can have serious sleep problems. And a lack of nighttime rest takes a toll on learning in school.

Children who spend long hours in front of a computer screen get far too little exercise. And physical activity helps to make progress in learning. Toddlers chained to chairs often have problems in school.

Do you allow your child to use electronic devices?