Experts caution against giving cell phones to pacify crying children

ISLAMABAD: Experts have called on parents to avoid using technology to stop their children from crying. Parents often give phones or other devices to toddlers during mealtimes, or to keep them occupied.

This has become a common trend today: parents giving mobile phones to children to keep them quiet and engaged. However, according to doctors, this is not a healthy practice.

Calling it ‘electronic-babysitting’, a senior psychiatrist, Dr Damber K Nirola, said that the growing trend is worrying. “Firstly, mobile phones release a lot of radiation. Secondly, children are exposed to all sorts of content online if parents are not careful.”

Dr Nirola said that recent studies have speculated that exposing children below the age of 18 months to mobile phones could lead to the development of autism spectrum disorder in the child. This is still being studied and results are not yet considered conclusive.

Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socialises with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.

One of the many reasons behind the increasing mental health cases in the country, opined Dr Nirola, is excessive use of the internet, social media, and online games.

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He said that children exposed to such practises have higher chances of developing certain mental conditions as they grow up. “We are anticipating some of these problems in children in the future.”

Gaming addiction, according to the psychiatrist, is also on rise in the country. “Gaming addiction is similar to other addictions. As people spend more time playing games, they can become jittery and are deprived of sleep, affecting their mental health.”

 “In today’s digital age, it’s not uncommon for parents to hand their phones to children as a quick fix — to quiet them down or keep them entertained,” Maryam Hassani, acting head of Trends & Innovation at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), told Khaleej Times.

Recent research published in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry refers to this practice as “digital pacifiers”, which are used by parents to avoid or manage tantrums in their children.

While effective in the short run, the child won’t learn to regulate their emotions, leading to “poorer effortful control and anger management”. It may result in “increased dependence” on the digital device, “screen time tantrums” and screen addiction.