It’s a pretty well-known fact that screentime is unhealthy
for young children and should be limited. Studies are even starting to show
that the use of tablets in classrooms is resulting in the “dumbing down” of
students, resulting in lowered reading ability. Check out this
link for more information. But, is adult screentime also damaging our
children’s development?
It is becoming apparent that children of every age are struggling
all over the world. They are falling behind academically, and their behavior is
unbelievably challenging for teachers from ages 2 on up. Teachers are struggling
to teach children who are combative. It is hard to teach children who refuse to
listen or follow the simplest of directions. They disrupt everyone in the room,
attempt to harm other children and their teachers, and destroy a learning
environment by throwing toys, chairs, or whatever they can get their hands on, simply
because they were told they needed to do something they did not want to do.
Teachers everywhere have been wondering why.
Smartphones and tablets may be to blame.
I am going to set aside the children’s use of screen time.
Yes, in childcare, we are seeing children as young as one year of age with
their own phones. As soon as they are picked up, they are handed a device. But,
for this article, I am going to talk about parents’ use of devices.
From birth, we as parents are on our phones. It’s become an
addiction for even the best of us. But, what are we missing when we are
scrolling while feeding our babies, scrolling while rocking them to sleep, scrolling
while they play on the floor or outside? We are missing important interactions
that are greatly needed for the proper development of our children. Nothing on
social media is more important than our children.
Seeing the way some children are acting in the daycare I
work at puts me in mind of a developmental disorder called Child
Attachment Disorder. Normally seen in children who have been severely neglected
or abused, Child Attachment Disorder can develop when they aren’t properly bonded
with their caregiver as a baby. “Normally, babies develop a close attachment
bond with their main caregiver (usually their parents) within the first months
of life. If they are in a situation where they do not receive normal love and
care, they cannot develop this close bond.”
It seems as though some of the behavior issues we are
experiencing in preschool and elementary school are a lesser form of CAD. Here are
some behaviors I have seen at the daycare I work at, which are from a list of
examples from the article linked above.
· The baby cries inconsolably.
The baby or child does not seem to be upset in
situations where you might expect them to be upset.
·
The child does not play with toys or engage in
interactive games with others.
·
The child has difficult, aggressive behavior
towards other children or adults.
·
The child is very withdrawn and does not
interact with other children or adults.
·
The child is anxious, fearful, or depressed.
·
The child is unable to control his/her temper or
anger.
·
The child is not getting on very well at school.
·
The child is inappropriately friendly to
children or adults they don't know.
·
The child may hug people they don't know, or in
inappropriate situations (a doctor or teacher, for example).
·
The child has no wariness of strangers. The
child may go off with somebody they don't know without checking with their
parent(s) or caregiver.
Parents are ignoring their infants and children too much to
feed their smartphone addictions.
Responsive, attentive parents - for children from birth to
adulthood – are vital for their development. Giving what is called “Serve
and Return” is critical for developing infants, and positive interactions are
critical for children of all ages.
From the article linked above:
“Serve and return interactions—responsive, back-and-forth
exchanges between a young child and a caring adult—play a key role in shaping
brain architecture.
These interactions, much like a lively game of tennis, form
a critical part of a child’s social environment and are crucial for early
development.
They support development of early language and social skills
that serve as a foundation for more complex, high-level cognitive abilities
that form later in life.”
From
Newsweek, May 5, 2025:
“A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that when
parents use technology in the presence of their young children—a behavior
researchers call "parental technology use" (PTU)—it may be harming
key aspects of kids' health and development.
The meta-analysis, which combined data from 21 studies
across 10 countries and included nearly 15,000 participants, revealed
consistent associations between PTU and negative outcomes in children under the
age of five.
These include poorer cognitive development, increased
behavioral and emotional problems, weaker attachment to parents and higher
screen time in children themselves.”
We teachers are begging you! GET OFF YOUR PHONES AND GIVE
YOUR INFANTS AND CHILDREN ATTENTION! They desperately need you to be present so
they can have healthy development and a bright and happy future!
