Electronic devices are essential and indispensable, as they have a large space in our lives and exist in different forms around us and around our children, who are considered the fastest affected and interacting with everything around them. The mobile phone comes as one form of electronic devices that has an impact on our children of all ages. Despite the importance of the phone in our lives, at the same time it has become a dangerous tool if it is misused, like many technological means.
As the excessive use of the smartphone - according to experts - has a significant negative impact on children's behavior, causing many psychological problems and affecting all organs of the body, such as bone pain, especially neck and back pain, poor vision and hearing, in addition to headaches.The dangers of mobile phones on Child
Dr. Alaa Al-Ghandour, Psychological Analysis and Rehabilitation Consultant and Family Counselor, said: The psychological effect is represented in children’s lack of communication with others and the tendency to isolate as a result of using the phone for several continuous hours, which poses a great danger that may affect children with autism, crying and stress in the event that they do not have access to the phone. It also results in delayed speech, inability to interact with the outside world, and fear of facing everything new. Sometimes treating the psychological damage to children resulting from excessive use of the smartphone is more difficult than the physical treatment, as it is possible that the child continues to suffer from psychological problems throughout his life that hinder him from Practicing his life normally, and therefore parents must follow several steps to raise the child mentally and physically healthy.
Dr. Alaa Al-Ghandour stressed that the psychological state of children differs according to age, family and place, meaning that there is a spoiled child and an oppressed child, and although they are completely different from each other, they share one world, which is the world of mobile phones and electronic games.
He emphasized that the inventor of electronic games has sufficient knowledge of the study of psychology, where he has the ability to deal with children and give them motivational doses always and make him feel that he is a genius and he will have a great future and with every level he achieves success he presents something motivational and from here the child merges with These games make him feel joy and achieve a great achievement that makes him different from his friends. With the development of time, the child becomes addicted to these games, which makes him isolate himself from the real world, live in a virtual world, and stay away from family and friends, as he spends most of the time with these games, which negatively affects his psyche and a sense of loss of security with parents.
The most important causes of mobile phone addiction
Dr. Al-Ghandour added that among the most important reasons that affect the child and make him turn to mobile phones and electronic games are:
- Violence has many forms, such as beating or verbal humiliation in front of his brothers, and because of this, he resorts to one of the means that makes him feel motivated and that he is a great human being. - Family problems between the father and mother at home and the constant screaming makes that child isolate from them and live in his own world. Insult in school, whether from the teacher or his colleagues, this makes him feel psychologically affected and isolated from the outside world. isolated from the outside world.
Symptoms of addiction to mobile phones and electronic games
Dr. Alaa Al-Ghandour added that among the most important symptoms that appear on a child addicted to mobile phones and electronic games are the following:
- Loss of appetite for food and drink
- Loss of passion for playing or leaving the house, as he becomes interested in nothing but this electronic game. - The most vulnerable are children up to the age of seven and teenage children.
Addiction treatment methods
He also added the best ways to treat and limit the damage of electronic devices to children, where there must be a strong friendship between the parents and the child by dealing with him with love and kindness with the use of the slogan (no pampering or torture) and we share with him the simplest things and take his opinion even in Some decisions and we encourage him to his opinion and motivate him.
We also encourage him to participate in some sports activities that help him to sleep mentally and physically peacefully so that he forgets about the phone and electronic games, and when punishing the child, parents must not use violence with him, but they can deprive him of something he loves, with the addition of an explanation that what he did is wrong and cannot be Repeating it and directing the child to the right path in a sound educational manner so that it does not affect him negatively in order to reach the upbringing of the child in a healthy upbringing mentally and physically.
