Do smartphones cause damage to children?

I also try to have seniors keep the pace with time. Smartphones are the hot topic nowadays in IT equipment. Many seniors use them, too. But what is said about smartphones towards children and grandchildren?

Teenagers love their phones.They do not even look up when their parents talk to them.Children and young people spend lots of time with screens – more than six hours a day, according to one US survey.Parents are starting to wonder if spending this much time with screens is safe.

Research says it is not.Teenagers who spend five or more hours a day on electronic devices are 71% more likely to commit suicide than those who spend less than one hour a day.Young people who use screens so often are also 52% more likely to sleep less than seven hours a night.A lack of sleep has an effect on physical and mental health.The more time young adults spend on social media, the more likely they are to be depressed or lonely.

Perhaps unhappy people use digital media more.Several experiments and studies have shown that the use of digital media causes unhappiness.However, unhappiness does not cause people to use digital media.

Source: The Guardian [online] / https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/12/tech-bosses-kids-timesmartphones-parents-mental-health.

Adapted by: Jodie Hruby UK/USA.