Team DailyPedia
In 2014, Pediatric Occupational Therapist Cris Rowan listed down 10 reasons as to why handheld devices should be banned among children under the age of 12. According to Dr. Rowan, overexposure to smartphones, tablets, and electronic games negatively affects a child’s brain growth and development. Moreover, various studies have shown that it causes obesity, sleep deprivation, mental illness, aggression, attention deficiency, addiction, and exposure to radiation emission.
Overuse of such technology has also been blamed as a causal factor in increasing rates of child depression, bipolar disorder, problematic child behavior, attachment disorder, anxiety, attention deficiency as well as autism. While a direct link has not been established for such disorders, statistics have shown the link between the rise of digital media and the increase in the prevalence of autism.
Through a Facebook post, Dr. Tere Ribano shared an informative slide presented by speaker Dr. Stella Manalouring at the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) Convention held from April 3 to 6 at the Philippine International Convention Center, CCP Complex in Pasay City. Based on the slide, a dramatic increase in the prevalence of autism from 1 in 10,000 in the 1980s to 1 in 50 in 2015 had been observed. Interestingly, the rise of digital media beginning 2010 has coincided with the drastic rise in the cases of autism.
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Meanwhile, Dr. Mishi Dueñas, a Developmental Behavioral PedItrics fellow at the Yale School of Medicine pointed out that the recent increase in the prevalence of autism may be attributed to the inclusion of Asperger’s and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) under the Autism Spectrum. However Dr. Dueñas also emphasized that there is some truth to the loss of fine motor skills and loss of social interaction and executive function correlated to the rise of digital media.
Other doctors urged parents to serve as good role models to their kids when it comes to using gadgets/electronics.
Dr. Benjamin Go Co commented, “These parents still don’t get it. It’s actually complicated considering that kids will only mimic what adults do. Role modeling is more important in the end. If parents are on the breakfast table typing their hearts away or texting to their hearts delight and the nanny on FB the whole time, what do you think the kid will want to do? It’s not just about yanking out the phone or tablet from the child, it’s really setting a good role model. In the humdrum of a digitally technologically connected world, the little one is screaming for some attention.”
