How gadgets affect a child's brain

According to the Institute of Modern Media, by age 10, every child has their own tablet. Parents strive to keep up with the times, and the active transition to online everything - from lessons to developmental games, contributes to this. However, there is a bias towards unlimited surfing on the Internet, or unlimited online games - all this can negatively affect the health and psyche of the child. How do gadgets affect a child's brain?

Destroy nerve fibers 

The JAMA Pediatrics platform published a study in which 47 children took part, aged 3 to 5 years. The scientific experiment consisted in the fact that children underwent certain cognitive tests, and then the babies were given an MRI of the brain. The scans showed a relationship between the amount of time spent at gadget screens and the state of the brain. Children who spent a lot of time in gadgets had a less developed and holistic so-called white matter - this is the fatty sheath of nerve fibers, which is responsible for cognitive abilities. In children, there are violations in the coordination of movements, namely, of the hands.

Form the wrong picture of the world

In addition, the influence of gadgets on an immature child's psyche is capable of developing the so-called "virtual brain". This is when the wrong images of the world are formed in the child's imagination. That is, there is a substitution of reality. As a result, behavioral difficulties appear - the baby does not understand how to communicate with peers, becomes aggressive and disobedient, and most importantly, is emotionally unstable.

Disrupt speech development

Early acquaintance with the tablet suspends the child's main need - to communicate. Articulating abilities are lost as unnecessary - the child goes online, where it is not at all necessary to talk.

Don't let me remember

Many babies who, with a diaper gadget, as they say, have memory problems. Often they cannot remember the previous phrase, for example, from a book story or an audiobook. They understand in chunks and passages, respectively, this badly affects the reading and the child's interest in classes.

Tips for parents

1. Try to adhere to the screen time norms, taking into account the age of the baby. Up to 4 years old - 30 minutes a day. Up to 6 years old - 1 hour. Up to 9 - 1.5 hours. Up to 14 - 2 hours a day.
2. Limit mindless surfing the Internet by setting parental controls.
3. Do not feed your baby under the tablet, do not use it as a magic pill if your baby is in a bad mood.
4. Don't make your gadget a trophy for good behavior.

You will also be interested in:

Gadget addiction can trigger suicidal thoughts in teens

Children start talking later because of gadgets.