That phone could hurt your child

For a long time, the television set tuned to a cartoon channel was the babysitter of choice for many stay-at-home mothers and their maids. If a mother had a lot of housework and other chores to do and the child was getting in the way, all she had to do was sit the child in front of the television and turn it on. For hours thereafter, she would not hear a single sound coming out of the mesmerised child.
However, nowadays, with the advance of technology, it is becoming quite common to find that most children know perfectly well how to operate a smartphone. They spend hours with their eyes glued to their parent’s smartphone or iPad.
Maclin Uwera is trying to come to terms with the fact that her three-year-old son reaches for her Samsung smartphone as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning.
“I do not have a password on my phone so he switches it on and goes to the menu and selects the games he wants to play. Recently, I bought a tablet with the intention of using it for my work when out of office. But now, I am not even allowed to touch it. I cannot carry it with me to the office. He commandeered the tablet for himself and spends the day playing games. If I take it, the maid informs me that he remains restless for hours.”

Critical thinking
Therein lies the problem. Children spending hours looking at phone screens is an inescapable reality of our times, because there are so many educational apps and games on smartphones and worthy television shows that can help open their minds to critical thinking. “My eight-year-old daughter uses my phone to do her homework,” Phiona Nalwanga, an IT specialist, says, continuing, “Homework nowadays is complicated and I do not know some of the answers. That is where Google comes in.”
However, much as there are a myriad of benefits with advance technology, a lot of screen time without adult supervision could be hurting your child.

Shortsightedness
In adults, looking at a computer screen for extended hours can lead to eye fatigue, dryness of the eyes, and blurred vision. Children are not immune to these symptoms because they rarely blink while looking at phone screens.
Although not much research has been conducted into how excessive screen time can lead to shortsightedness in later life, Dr Grace Ssali, a paediatric ophthalmologist and president of Uganda Ophthalmology Society, says: “Theoretically, it is bad in the long run. As the child grows, the growth of the eye depends on the things he or she looks at. If the child spends a lot of time looking at near objects, they are prone to shortsightedness.”
Scientists believe the blue unnatural light from phones can cause irreversible eye damage over a period of time. In this case, prevention is better than cure. A parent or guardian should take steps to teach their child proper screen usage. The screen should be held at least midway out from the body.
“Children should be encouraged to spend less time on gadgets and instead expend their energy on outdoor activities,” Dr Ssali advises.

Psychological makeup
The brain has the capability to continue learning. However, if it is made redundant, it can operate at half capacity. Chris Komakech, a psychiatric nurse with Serenity Centre Uganda, says: “When children begin using phone apps early, it affects their ability to learn. A few years ago, children were able to make calculations without using calculators. Nowadays, though, they cannot get by without a phone. The more you expose the brain to critical thinking, the faster it will work. A phone app does not engage the brain.”
A lot of screen time also affects the personality of a child in the long run because they do not have time to interact with other children their age.
“Our personalities come from our genetic makeup. If a child is born an introvert, the more time they spend on the phone, the more they become comfortable with their own company. They do not even try to make friends. As they grow up, life becomes all about them. The fact that they are ‘self-contained’ means they will withdraw from their neighbours. In later life, these are warning signs that they may develop schizophrenia,” Komakech says.

Poor communication
Komakech adds that a child who is attached to a smartphone finds it hard to communicate with their peers. They cannot emphathise with others or take in nonverbal cues while talking to people. These abilities usually develop in early childhood, so if a child is not interacting with other children and adults they (abilities) will be dulled.
“If the child is born an extrovert, closeting themselves with a phone means taking away their God given ability to interact with other people,” Komakech says, adding, “They only interact when the phone is unavailable.”

Lack of physical activity
Previously, the attraction about childhood was that children were free to play until they dropped. However, when children remain cooped up indoors playing phone games, they do not get enough sport and leisure time outdoors.
Wilbrod Makumbi, a physiotherapist with Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) teams says: “Children develop better physiologically when they engage in active play, compared to passive play. They get to improve their social skills as they interact with the environment and other children around them because this boosts their confidence and self-esteem.”
It is advisable that children spend at least two hours outdoors every day. As a child’s body develops, sitting for most part of the day, hunched over a phone device is bad for their health. A sedentary lifestyle is the cause of many lifestyle diseases the country’s population is grappling with.
Besides, an active life translates into good sleep at night. If an hour before bedtime, your child is playing a game on your phone, the bright light on the phone will cause poor sleep quality, or at worst, insomnia. “Active play, also called play therapy, is important that it is used as therapy for children who have undergone some form of psychological trauma,” Makumbi adds.

Inappropriate information
Since children addicted to gadgets use their parent’s smartphones, it is possible that they may see and get to know things that are not meant for their age.
Mary Jane Biira, a counsellor with Families Fit for Children, says, “Nowadays, there is a big risk of children getting exposed to pornography if the phones have no restrictions. Some parents are careless with WhatsApp, posting all sorts of pictures. Imagine if your young son or daughter accesses such pictures. The image they have of you as a parent will be compromised.”
Whatever the age of the child, he or she is capable of acting out what they have been exposed to. So, imagine if it is pornographic.
“A three-year-old child may look innocent but their brains are active and pick up whatever they see,” Biira says, continuing, “The only time you might realise it is when you are called to your child’s nursery school, with the teachers complaining that your young one is teaching other children ‘bad things’.”
A child who is addicted to the phone is not easy to correct because you may talk until the hens come home to roost, yet their minds are occupied by the gadget in their hands.

Dangers of phone addiction
Spending hours on the phone in childhood will most likely translate into phone addiction in adulthood.
On November 29, 2017 the Sloan Management Review of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), published results of an experiment carried out between 2015 and 2017 with 153 graduate students at two business schools in Italy and France. Students were asked to give up their smartphones for a day. Most of those who participated in the experiment felt some degree of anxiety, not knowing what to do with the extra time on their hands.
“In Western countries, phone addiction is a real problem, though it is only becoming visible in Uganda,” Chris Komakech, a psychiatric nurse with Serenity Centre Uganda says, adding: “I have witnessed some adults who are above 30 years of age who cannot work because they prefer to play games on the phone all the time.”
Many drivers engage in reckless driving, which includes, driving while texting. According to the Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2014, 8,708 accidents were attributed to reckless driving, with 640 of them fatal.
Komakech adds that phone addiction can lead to hallucinations. “Someone will hear their phone buzzing, yet in actual sense no one is calling them. This usually happens with people who cannot spend 30 minutes away from their phones.”
In such cases, the only remedy is giving the addict psychotherapy to help them overcome this addiction.