As digital natives, many children start using technology at a very young age. Having a mobile phone seems to be a natural extension of this fact and now that you are back at school, you are probably wondering if the time has come to give your child their own smartphone. Is it timely?
Currently pedagogues, pediatricians and experts in technology do not agree. You cannot simply answer yes or no to a child when requesting a phone, you must consider the purpose of having it, as well as its advantages and benefits . As children and society become more technologically savvy, the answer will often be yes, but the mobile phone is not always going to be a good way to encourage the little ones in the house.
5 reasons to keep your children away from mobile phones
Growing up in the age of technology has its benefits, such as instant access to endless educational possibilities and preparation for the jobs of the future, immediate contact with children or the promotion of social relationships. But it also exposes young people to a number of much less benign problems:
- Exposure to radiation: It is not an invention that mobile phones emit SAR radiation and although its effects have not been fully classified, it never hurts to reduce the exposure of the little ones in the house to them. Experts note that due to their thinner skulls and unique physiology, children can receive twice as much radiation to their brain and up to ten times more radiation to their skull compared to an adult.
- Childhood obesity: The more time the child spends with the smartphone, the less time he will spend playing, doing sports or other much healthier activities. It is appropriate to restrict the use of the telephone.
- Poor sleep: Many children with mobile phones lose sleep due to talking at night or being anxious not to miss a call, and as a result suffer from headaches and drowsiness during the day, which interferes with learning at school .
- Cyber bullying and sexual crimes: Children with mobile phones are more exposed to being attacked by social networks, contacting strangers and, ultimately, putting their digital identity at risk.
- Lack of attention : When our children only think about using the mobile, their attention span is reduced. For this reason, it is almost mandatory to turn off the smartphone in class.
In fact, researchers from the London School of Economics found that students in schools with restricted mobile phone access received (on time) about a week of additional education each year and scored 6% better than their peers.
When should children use their first mobile
Several experts agree that 9-10 years is the best age for our children to start using their own phone , always with well-configured parental configuration tools of course.
From this age children are already in an advanced grade of primary school and are more aware of what they have at hand, but it is still key that parents and guardians teach them to use it properly and explain the risks to them. that they are subjected.
