By Yui Naoi
Have you heard a child crying, “Lend me smartphone! Lend me tablets!” Parents hand over their smartphones to their demanding children. It is unfortunate, because the period up to the age of five is an important period for children’s healthy growth. How they spend this critical period will greatly affect their development and personality in the future. There are several reasons why children under the age of five should should be protected from harmful communication technologies.
Smartphones and tablets negatively affect the healthy growth of children. Looking at the same screen for a long time can cause eyestrain and poor eyesight for children who are still immature. Also listening to electronic sounds for a long time will also weaken their hearing. Electronic media creates a world of light and sound, and there is no light, sound, smell, taste or touch that nature creates. Therefore, only sight and hearing are working, and the five senses cannot be developed in a well-balanced manner.
In addition, children will stop playing outside if they are entertained at home with games on smartphones and tablets. If children only play indoors and stop playing outdoors, they will not get enough exercise. Lack of exercise can lead to obesity and stress. Also, since children play only on the screen by themselves, they will not be able to communicate with many friends and build social relationships. I think that small children should learn to develop social skills by talking, quarreling and laughing together with their peers.
Using smartphones and tablets will limit the interaction with their family members. First of all, spending time with their family members is the most important thing to do for young children. If children cannot communicate well with their family members, parent-child and sibling relationships will deteriorate. In addition, children use electronic media, and blue light prevents them from developing their imagination and concentration by eliminating the time for reading, which is important for their healthy growth. In conclusion, disadvantages of using modern media is serious for children under the age of five. They include mental, physical, and social problems. Children under the age of five should stay away from modern communication technologies.
