Rising Concerns Over Negative Impact of Smartphone and Internet Use on Children's Development

Palpa. With the advancement of technology, access to mobile phones and the internet is expanding to every village. Experts suggest that the negative impact of smartphones and the internet is becoming more pronounced on the current generation of children growing up using these technologies, rather than the positive effects.

Few families are without a mobile phone these days. Currently, almost every household, including low-income families, has access to smartphones and the internet.

Child psychiatrist and pediatrician Dr. Bikash Raj Adhikari stated that the misuse of smartphone access is increasing, which has become a risky and worrying issue. He mentioned that parents are visiting various psychotherapy centers because their children are facing problems due to excessive mobile use.

“Children today are familiar with mobile phones from infancy. Growing up watching their parents use them or take photos, they start using the internet from a young age for playing games, chatting with friends, and various other activities. When children develop an addiction to the internet, it increases anxiety for parents regarding their health, education, and other aspects,” said Dr. Adhikari.

Umesh Khadka, a fifth-grade student from Tansen, was very lively. He always wanted to play with friends and used to go outside to ride his bicycle. During the lockdown, it was difficult for his parents to keep him confined to his room. To manage this, his parents came up with a trick to keep him engaged with the internet.

When the second phase of the lockdown began in Shrawan, his school started online classes. After that, most of his time was spent on the internet. Although the school reopened in the first week of Magh, he was reluctant to go. His family contacted the school for counseling after he started refusing to go to school, constantly wanting to use his mobile, becoming very angry when denied, and throwing or breaking objects.

Manisha Pandey, now eight years old, from Bhagwati Tole, Tansen-3, was shown various videos by her parents while being fed. This developed into a habit of watching videos while eating or before studying. Her parents considered this normal. Gradually, she started playing games on the mobile phone, which made her parents express happiness.

Manisha's attachment to games grew. Subsequently, she started demanding the mobile phone and playing games all the time. Manisha's mother informed that when the internet was unavailable for five days last Poush, Manisha exhibited very irritable behavior. The treatment by a psychiatrist began after she started activities like throwing and breaking her mother's phone because she couldn't get online.

Apsara Pariyar from Gulmi, Tamghas, is worried because her son, who was excellent in studies until two years ago, is gradually becoming weak. Her 12-year-old son, Prince, a third-grader, immediately gets busy on his mobile phone after returning from school without even taking off his bag or uniform.

His mother, Apsara, said that he cries and refuses to eat if the mobile phone is taken away. She said, “His studies were good before, but after the habit of studying via mobile developed post-Covid, he cannot do without it now. He doesn't pay attention to his studies because he plays games and watches videos on YouTube.”

According to Apsara, her son is constantly busy with the mobile, does no chores, is disobedient, and is becoming stubborn and obstinate. She said, “Parents think the child is studying when they are busy on the mobile, perhaps watching necessary things, but they are watching various types of videos on YouTube and playing games. They don't complete their tasks on time and show disobedience.”

Child psychiatrist and pediatrician Dr. Adhikari stated that while internet access has made life easier, if not used safely, it leads to a flood of misinformation, and children are facing more problems.

He mentioned that parents often give children mobile phones or computers to keep them occupied while they attend to their own busy schedules, but failing to monitor what they are doing leads to the misuse of the internet by children, which negatively affects their brain, eyes, memory, and more.

Psychiatrist Dr. Adhikari noted that mobile use is increasingly causing health problems in children lately. “Most parents come to me with issues like their children's studies deteriorating, not sleeping, or not waking up on time. The problem in all cases appears to be excessive mobile use,” he said.

According to Adhikari, using such electronic devices like mobile phones and laptops for long periods from a young age has long-term effects. He stated that being engrossed in the internet constantly affects children's social and mental development.

Dr. Adhikari's experience shows that it is difficult to bring children who spend too much time on the internet back to a normal state later on. He informed that they may later experience problems such as emotional weakness, lack of self-confidence, mood instability, and weakening of eyesight, hearing, and memory.

Dr. Adhikari emphasized that parents need to pay attention to whether mobile use has become a habit for their children. He suggested that parents can change their children's habits by using mobile phones less themselves, playing with their children, spending time with them, and encouraging them to study.