A smartphone is a great thing to have, but while it can offer you many things, but there are many reasons not to give a smartphone to your child or let your child play with yours. Here are several reasons why you should not give a smartphone to your child.
The Relationship
The parent-child relationship is an important one and in younger children the growth of that relationship is key. However, giving a child a smartphone can hinder that relationship, and you have to foster it and spend time with you child. Not only are you not spending quality time with your child if they are on a smartphone often, but with instantaneous info that is available through that technology, it also can hinder their process for finding out things on their own.
Not Very Creative
There are tons of games and activities for children on smartphones, but it can limit their creativity and imagination. Staring at a screen and pushing buttons is not the best way to foster real creatively and not only that but the younger a child uses a smartphone the more likely it is that their motor and optical development can be hindered.
Sleep is Key
Sleep is key for every person, but this is more so the case with children. If you give a child a smartphone, they may play it in bed rather than sleeping or doing other things such as read a nighttime book. Children need sleep to give food to the brain and letting them play with a smartphone in bed can impede that.
Learning Issues
Children’s use of a smartphone can impede social-economic development in a child and research has backed this. According to research in the area, much-needed math and science learning skills can be hurt by the use of devices where a simple touch of the screen can take the form of problem-solving.
Addiction Issue
We have all been addicted to instant information, which is so easy to get on a smartphone, but children are as well, and that addition can lead up a slippery slope. Any source of addiction is not a good one and if a child is addicted to usig a smartphone it takes away from the other activities that they can be doing that can be better for them not only socially, but creatively as well.
The Health Factors
Letting your child have a smartphone can have a negative impact on the mental health of your child. Research has shown that overactive use with phones and the internet can lead to depression and lethargy. On top of that when playing on a smartphone, it is pretty obvious that it is not a physical activity. The overuse of smartphones and other electronic devices can bring about obesity, since it can, many times, take the place of physical activity.
The Issue of Violence
In many games and videos, violence is the prevalent theme and children can be desensitized to violence by playing games and watching videos on a smartphone. Sure, there are great learning games and videos online as well, but many are violent and are not suitable for children, especially younger ones. Showing violence as a way to solve problems in a game or video is not a trait you want to teach your children, and with a smartphone, they will be privy to many of those things, which is not the best way to teach your child about violence and how to deal with it.