Nowadays, even little kids are glued to their screens — watching short-form content like reels for hours. No matter how much you try to take the screen away, it’s almost impossible.
But do you know how much this addiction is harmful to your kid’s growth? Let’s understand.
Short-form content such as reels and shorts give a quick dopamine spike, according to a study. This makes the user feel happy, excited, and hooked to watch more. However, this also affects the child’s attention span and emotional state negatively.
Therefore, it’s crucial for parents to limit their child’s screen time. In this article, we will share how you can enhance your child’s growth.
The Way Reels & Shorts Work
Before we dive into the impacts of short-form content, let’s understand how it works first.
Social media platforms promote content that is engaging, visually-appealing, and entertaining. The algorithm aims to make the user stay on the platform. So, let’s say, if you sit to scroll for 15 minutes, you won’t realise when two hours passed away.
Allowing your child to scroll through short-form content means giving them a long time. They will stay addicted to watching it. And well, no addiction is good.
7 Negative Impacts on Mental & Physical Health
Studies have shown that short-form content has bad effects on sleep and mood. Here are 7 negative impacts of it on mental and physical health:
1. Low attention span
Most ‘engaging’ contents shift visuals rapidly. Within seconds, you get to see switches between high-quality visuals. Such rapid nature of reels leads to a short attention span. Thus, your child may have difficulty focusing on tasks.
Additionally, they may leave their tasks in the middle to check reels again. That’s how addictive short-form content could be!
2. Poor sleep quality
Since watching short-form content releases dopamine, it’s very likely for the user to feel tempted to scroll at night. As soon as they get idle, the child will crave something more. So, it ends up with a few more hours of scrolling.
Not only it affects the ideal sleep routine, but also impacts the sleep quality. Here’s why: High dopamine release at night increases alertness in the brain. Thus, causing the user to stay awake.
3. Low learning capacity
Low attention span and addiction come in between the learning of children. Too much screen time can also cause children and teens to feel angry. For instance, they may act stubborn when you take the screen away.
Additionally, such issues may also make them impatient and ungrateful to the things around them.
4. Low self-esteem
Social media is all about ‘perfection’ — in life, content, and every reel. It is a curated unrealistic portrayal about a creator’s life. Therefore, it can to feelings of ‘not being enough’ in children and teens.
They may start comparing their lives and trying to achieve a certain standard of living. If not provided to them, they may start feeling inferior.
5. FOMO and Loneliness
Going back to the last point, comparison also creates a fear of missing out, also known as FOMO. The user may develop a constant anxiety to check the next video. Additionally, excessive time on social media can cause the child to feel lonely.
6. Sedentary lifestyle
The addictive nature of reels makes kids a couch potato. Nowadays, children have stopped going out, moving their body, and playing in fresh air. Thus, they’re leading a sedentary lifestyle.
However, there are many health risks which may come with high screen time. No physical activity can lead to obesity and other related issues. So, you should also focus on helping your child develop social skills.
7. Eye strain & Bad posture
Long hours of screen time can cause eye strain, headaches, and neck pain. It may also lead to a bad posture eventually. So, teach your child to limit their screen time and use the phone only in a sitting posture.
What Should Parents Do To Stop This?
With all the negative impacts of short-form content on children’s growth, parents must take steps to limit their screen time. Here are several steps you can take as a parent:
- Set Parental Controls
Most smartphones have the feature to set parental controls. Basically, they allow parents to manage their child’s access to online content.
Parental controls can help you block inappropriate content, limit screen time, and manage who can connect with the child.
- Create Screen Time Rules
Set screen time rules at home for when children can watch television and use mobile phones. You can limit it to 1 hour per day and restrict any screens after 9 pm from their reach.
- Encourage Children to Engage In Hobbies
While your child is off-screen, make them play indoor games such as a Carrom board. Make them spend time enjoying their hobbies and playing games.
At first, you may have to initiate the idea of playing games with them. Later on, they will form a routine of their own of studying and enjoying. This will also help decrease their screen time.
- Be Their Role Model
If they are idle and watch you using your phone, will they be able to resist it? Probably, no. So, be their role model and avoid using your smartphone in front of them most of the time.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to maintain healthy boundaries between children and technology. In this era of Internet, anyone can connect with them on social media with any intent. So, it’s the best to keep your children off-socials.
Guide your child on how to use technology safely with a positive approach. Make learning fun and easy for them. Additionally, instead of them watch unnecessary content all day, you can search for fun and educational videos for them.
