"Electronic nanny" has many hazards

Author: Yang Feng, deputy chief physician of Shenzhen Second People's Hospital

Reviewer: Jing Jin, Professor and Chief Physician, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University

Modern people live at a fast pace and have great work pressure. Many young parents do not have time to take care of their children. They often let their children watch electronic screens such as TV, tablets or mobile phones too early, thinking that this will allow their children to "learn" language early. However, they do not realize that such "electronic nannies" are extremely harmful to children's overall physical and mental health, especially the development of language skills.

A domestic survey shows that 92.2% of one-year-old children have used mobile devices. Some children have been exposed to electronic screens since they were four months old and watch them for several hours a day. Parents often find that these children's language development is particularly slow, and even their proactive communication with others is greatly reduced. Some children become active and impulsive, and they can only sit still when watching electronic products. Otherwise, they will run around and cannot sit still even when eating. Their tempers are getting worse and worse, and they will lose their temper at the slightest thing they are not satisfied with. They often lie on the floor, yell, throw toys around, and even hit people, which makes their parents very upset.

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In fact, the clinical guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics more than a decade ago believed that it was a bad idea for children to watch TV or use mobile devices before 18 months old. This is because infants' early learning mainly relies on more contact with things in the real world, but it takes about 18 months for infants to understand the correspondence between symbols on electronic screens and things in the real world. The early use of electronic products greatly encroaches on the time when infants are exposed to the real world, which greatly limits the learning opportunities of young children. On the other hand, most electronic screens can only output in one direction and cannot interact effectively with children. However, for the early social skill development of infants and young children, the most important thing is to interact with people around them as much as possible, and virtual characters cannot do this. In addition, although the use of electronic screens may teach children to tap and slide the screen, studies have shown that these actions cannot be transformed into actual skills in the real world. So, what are the possible harms of using "electronic nannies" to infants and young children? Let's talk about it below.

1. Affect children's learning ability

Children need to learn from interactions with others. The facial expressions, intonation and body language between infants and parents are the basis for children to connect with the outside world and to establish a sense of security. Parent-child attachment and sense of security are the basis for children to learn anything. They have a great impact on children's long-term physical and mental growth, and even last throughout their lives. "Electronic nannies" cannot replace parental affection. Instead, they block parent-child attachment and are very detrimental to the establishment of children's early sense of security. They often cause children to be in an anxious state and have no intention of exploring the outside world, which seriously affects children's learning ability.

2. Hindering children’s language development

Studies show that even if children do not stay in front of electronic screens for a long time, as long as the TV is turned on, it is enough to delay children's language development. This is because when children are around, parents speak an average of 940 words per hour, but when the TV is turned on, this number drops to 770, which means that children's opportunities to be exposed to language are greatly reduced, thus limiting language learning. The latest research also shows that if children under the age of 3 watch electronic products for more than 30 minutes a day, the risk of these children developing language disorders in the later stage will increase by 1/3.

3. Affect children's attention and cause hyperactivity and impulsivity

Children who spend a long time in front of electronic screens are more likely to have problems with concentration when they are around 7 years old. This is because children's video programs are often interesting and tempting, which can keep children in a high mood. However, such a long period of excitement bombardment will cause the child's immature nervous system to be overwhelmed, causing the child to be hyperactive and impulsive. In the long run, it will cause the child to have symptoms similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and may even cause learning difficulties and dyslexia in the school age.

In short, we recommend that children under 2 years old be prohibited from using electronic products, and children aged 2 to 5 years old should not be exposed to electronic screens for more than 20 minutes a day.