Smartphone for kids: Is it good for them?

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Earlier today, I woke up, and I was greeted good morning by my nephew. Well, it was suspicious for me. We usually do not greet each other and barely talk to each other first thing in the morning. I asked him to tell me what was going on. He got up to charge his phone and ignored me. It dawned on me that his voice sounded so sleepy and lazy. He admitted he did not sleep all night for streaming videos on YouTube and playing Mobile Legend. It is not the first time this had happened. My nephew is a seven-grader; he is only 13, and he first got a phone just recently. He is losing all the sleep in the world for stuff he only sees on the surface of his smartphone screen. And not that sleep is the only thing there is to lose.

According to statistics, 53% of youngsters under the age of 11 own a smartphone. Not to mention that we even exposed toddlers to technology. According to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Diego, California, most children were already using mobile devices by two years old. Their use increased as they grew older. How have these children been exposed to such devices at such an early age? Is it merely for fun and enjoyment, or is it genuinely for academics? Or is it because we allow them to that they use it in this manner? Is this truly the new normal, and do we have to accept it? No, it doesn't. It's 2021, and there are better ways to use our cell phones. We set our norms and standards, which should be holistically nothing else but for our good, especially the children.

Smartphones for children: a boon or a curse? Technology has advanced to the point where it no longer needs to keep up with us, but we must keep up with it. It influenced us on how we live. Due to the pandemic, we study online, using our phones and other devices. We stay indoors to avoid the COVID-19 virus, and we do practically everything over the phone. It is, indeed, effective for us. But what about the children? One good reason why we leave a phone in a child's possession is for communication, especially during crises. Just a ring or a text saying, "Ma, I'm here at Jane's" or "Dad, I'm at the coffee shop, fetch me by 5." And you'll be wondering, "Who the hell is Beth, and whose coffee shop?"

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Aside from that, smartphones can be lifelines for youngsters in crises. When their child brings a phone with them, parents and grownups experience a sense of protection and security. There are numerous other reasons and benefits for providing smartphones to children and teenagers, including digital literacy, self-sufficiency, immediate academic resources, real-time virtual interaction with friends, and enjoyment. Some people, usually the wealthy, have more than one gadget for themselves.

So, where do the cards fall? When did your mother start telling you that your stomachache, muscle cramps, or other symptoms are due to excessive smartphone use? (Not scientific) The majority of today's youth may assume that utilizing these smartphones and devices is "rad." Hold for a second, it is rad, and by that, I mean radiation. Consider how much radiation exposure results in diseases. Our phones and other electronic devices produce radiation, but it is not too excessive. Excessive exposure to it is a common health danger classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, which can cause cancer in people.

Is it worth it to have a lasting consequence like eye damage? Long durations of looking at the screen of our computers or phones can cause eye strain and provoke migraines and headaches. Another downside is a lack of sleep. According to a recent study, 60% of parents allow their children to use gadgets without careful supervision. Furthermore, what about non-external damages? We may become engrossed with cell phones if we do not understand how to use them properly. How much more can the youngsters get lost if we can?

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The internet and technology can direct kids to different websites, games, films, social content, search engines, and other resources. But wait a minute. How far can the phrase "many more" go? The online world is vast, dazzling, and gloomy. Dark content, such as violent media, can induce changes in children's behavior, such as aggressive conduct, and it's even worse when they apply what they see because they're curious. The shreds of evidence may not be sufficient to elicit a moral panic. But it certainly warrants more investigation for everyone.

So, what are we going to do? We don't do anything until we decide not to accept this as the new normal. And we've made our decision. We build a better lifestyle for ourselves and our children by limiting screen time, reducing the negative aspects while allowing them to enjoy the positive aspects of using cell phones. How? We must be there for them and with them. We may become the evil guy, the killjoys, and villains of what they call pleasure. Yes, we are, but I would be called such things than lead a youngster to something that, if done too much, might injure him, to something that is superficially good but maybe permanently detrimental. The children are most vulnerable in this matter, so we have to educate them and ourselves.

Smartphones for children, in my opinion, are a benefit, not a curse. Examining the subject, maybe the questions don't want a yes or no answer, but rather to be responded to with conviction. Adults can be better than smart enough, and that we're not joking when we say it. We must accept that technology has advanced to this point. But we should not overlook the notion that we need to understand it. Smartphones for kids? That's rad, that's cool, that's a fad. That it comes at a price, the cost of our time and attention, our genuine care, love, and patience. A price too high to bear. Is a smartphone good for kids? I let you decide.

Readings

  1. M. Sundus, The Impact of using Gadgets on Children

  2. Melanie Pinola, How and When to Limit Kids' Tech Use

  3. Michael Robb, Tweens, Teens, and Phones: What Our 2019 Research Reveals

  4. Amy Williams, How Do Smartphones Affect Childhood Psychology?

  5. Quentin Fottrell, Babies younger than 2 are using smartphones and tablets

  6. Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study

  7. Charles Fain Lehman, Are Smartphones and Social Media Hurting Our Kids?

Photo Credit: Mirko Sajkov, Pxhere, and Pxhere



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27 comments
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There's a need for kids to be exposed to smart phones and computers actually.

It's an experiment that could better improve children, because as kids, their brain are much free to accumulate so much knowledge, so being exposed to the functions of what technology has offered couldn't possibly be a bad thing!

In the aspect of kids maybe getting exposed to maybe violent or pornographic content, this is where parental guidance comes in, in one way or the other, kids will learn to grow and know all this things, so as parents, its a duty to teach them at a tender age, but with caution.


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There's a need for kids to be exposed to smart phones and computers actually.

I agree that it is necessary that we exposed kids to gadget. I think it goes down to how well this kids are informed the cost of overusing it. Parental guidance is indeed needed.
!PIZZA

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Smartphone for kids have their merits and demerits. As for me, it will only come with serious regulation so as to limit the demerits and reinforce the merits.

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I definitely agree. Smartphone may have cons but it is vital as we have education moves online. Regulating the demerits indeed is the key to reinforcing its merits. !PIZZA

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I think every single movie that I watched and saw children who did well in using gadgets and devices started touching them at a tender age

Yes, it's bad for them, but shouldn't mean we should take it away from them

We should only watch them closely so they do not harm themselves in the process


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Yes, it is a fact that kids who know around gadget has been portrayed success in movies. I agree that we can't discount this events. It goes down to how well parental control can guide these kids to optimize the use of gadget and become what the movie portrayed. !PIZZA

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I am glad you agree

When I become a parent I will try to give lots of exposure and at the same inform them about the effects

Letting know how it affects them positively and negatively

I will not stop them from accessing those technological inventions that could help better their existence

Thanks for putting this message across


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That is a good perspective. I have similar outlook with you. If I do have kids too, I won't deprive them of the technology that may foster their development. A better guidance can help balance it out.

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Giving children smart phone to use is not bad as it then to serve as monitor and a means to reach the Child in any given time. However giving the phone to them requires work because you have a job to do to monitor what they use the smartphone for, you have to regulate the time usage for it not to occupy the space for them to attend to their education, you also have to check the browsing history time to time to know what they google and research on as the internet can tech the a whole lot of diff things.

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I agree. Kids using smartphone is all bad. As you have said, parents needs to constantly monitor how they used it.

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Using technology serves its purpose to learners . As you had read before on my post, I mentioned there that at first grade, we already exposed our students in iPads and computers . They were learning such fun educational activities. I can see how effective it is to them. Letting the children expose to technology are their stepping stones in the future because at the end, we still have to face it in reality. But as parents , we are the ones who will guide them for when to use or and not to use it. It's a matter of disciplining.(My own perspective😊)

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As you had read before on my post, I mentioned there that at first grade, we already exposed our students in iPads and computers .

Yes, I do remember this from your blog. I am with you in terms of your position whether to allow kids to use smartphone. I agree that proper guidance is the key to balance the pros and cons of using it, which is also a consensus among who commented in this blog.

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Dear @juecoree, Your argument is good!
Smartphones can provide many educational opportunities for children.
However, smartphones are inconvenient for people with visual impairments like me.

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Smartphone is indeed has pros and cons. Whether we like it or not, it become a part of our lives as well as the kids. With the world moving towards online classes, smartphone, laptops and gadgets become a norm and a necessity. !PIZZA

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Dear @juecoree, I agree with you!
By the way, is the Philippines currently recovering from the damage of Typhoon Haiyan?
In South Korea, the number of deaths after receiving the coronavirus vaccine is rising. So, the number of people getting vaccinated again is increasing.

Right now we are in a situation where we have to pray to God for good luck.
Our knowledge and technology do not help solve the current problem.

PS: Thank you for your pizza!
I don't know how to create and use pizza in hive.😄

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By the way, is the Philippines currently recovering from the damage of Typhoon Haiyan?

Tacloban and the Eastern Visayas recovered well from Typhoon Haiyan.

Right now we are in a situation where we have to pray to God for good luck.
Our knowledge and technology do not help solve the current problem.

Yes, we are at a time that things are uncertain and what we can do is to at least believe that there is something better to come. There is still knowledge gaps that technology can't solve a problem. I think it is a matter of time to have a solution for what problem we have.

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Tacloban and the Eastern Visayas recovered well from Typhoon Haiyan.

Wow, That is good!
I saw articles in which people living in rural villages in the Philippines flock to Manila to earn money after being hit by a typhoon.
After the typhoon destroyed villages, many Filipinos went to Manila to earn money, but were unable to find work.

Currently, the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus causes those people to suffer even greater economic pain.

Currently, Korea is enjoying economic development through economic cooperation with the United States, China, Japan and Taiwan.
However, many Koreans are falling into frustration and discouragement because of the extreme gap between the rich and the poor.
Most people in the world are poor, not rich.

I want Koreans and Filipinos to meet each other and give and receive help!
The Filipinos I met were more gentle and docile than the Chinese, Vietnamese and Pakistanis.😄

Yes, we are at a time that things are uncertain and what we can do is to at least believe that there is something better to come. There is still knowledge gaps that technology can't solve a problem. I think it is a matter of time to have a solution for what problem we have.

Your positive is good!😄

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I saw articles in which people living in rural villages in the Philippines flock to Manila to earn money after being hit by a typhoon.

A handful of people from the areas heavily affected by Typhoon Haiyan went to Manila. However, in recent Das, people are going back to the rural as more investment and jobs going through the provinces.

Currently, the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus causes those people to suffer even greater economic pain.

Yes, coronavirus hits the economy really hard. I do hope we can continue to recover from it as we enters the third quarter of the year.

I want Koreans and Filipinos to meet each other and give and receive help! The Filipinos I met were more gentle and docile than the Chinese, Vietnamese and Pakistanis

That is a great perspective. I think people should be helping one another regardless of race, social status or culture.!PIZZA

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