Using Touchscreens Alters Your Child’s Sleep
Children who spend too much time playing on smartphones or tablets lose sleep because of the hours of entertainment they spend in front of their touchscreens every day, according to a British study looking at sleep patterns in babies.
Researchers say they discourage curiosity, affective bonds and wonder around the world. All of this easily depresses a child without our noticing it.
Every hour children spend playing in front of touchscreens represents 15 minutes less sleep.
That is, they sleep less at night, but more during the day, evidencing a normal sleep disorder, say researchers from Birkbeck , University of London.
We cannot deny that, in relation to technology, one always has access to both its good side and its harmful effects.
As for the use of devices such as smartphones or tablets , their positive contributions are undeniable. However, paradoxically, they also keep children away from interacting with their peers.
Too much technology can distract
In relation to babies specifically, several criticisms were made about the wonder they cause in the little ones.
It is worrisome to see how they leave the universe of imagination aside and how they lose the capacity for admiration that, without a doubt, is the most beautiful gift of childhood.
Touchscreen devices are the best excuse to avoid interacting with others.
In a child, these effects are greater as they easily lose concentration. Overuse of these devices makes children lose their social skills.
When a child uses an electronic device, their brain releases dopamine, the same satisfaction hormone that an adult’s brain releases.
Thus, children become addicted from an early age to this sensation, which unfortunately they do not find in everyday stimuli.
The use of touchscreens has advantages and disadvantages
On the flip side, children who play games on touchscreen devices easily develop motor skills at an early age, experts say. To conduct their surveys, they interviewed 715 parents with children under the age of three.
The questions asked by the researchers to parents were related to how often their children played games on a smartphone or tablet and their children’s sleep patterns. The answers surprised Birkbeck’s experts.
Information provided by volunteer parents showed that 75% of children use a touchscreen daily. 51% of them aged between 6 and 11 months and 92% of them aged between 25 and 36 months.
Overall, children slept approximately 15 minutes less per hour in front of the touchscreen, according to the researchers.
This information, in turn, suggests that parents should place limits on the duration of this type of entertainment. Thus, they prevent the little ones from losing vital hours of sleep, among other things.
The researchers stated that every minute counts when it comes to children’s development. That’s because hours of sleep are vital for development.
“Amazing sleep” screens
The use of touchscreen devices, especially before bed, reduces the presence of melatonin, an essential hormone for sleeping.
This fact is considered a destabilizer of the biological clock, especially in children.
The results of this study are not definitive. But officials say it’s a suggestive sign that touchscreens have something to do with sleep problems during early childhood, among many other effects.
Even though a child may seem focused when using an electronic device, it has actually been proven that they are permanently distracted.
Thus, they lose interest in what is going on around them and also have their curiosity diminished . The use of these devices decreases attention span, which is essential for learning.
According to experts, the best bet is to follow clear and inflexible rules about the amount of time children can spend in front of the screens.
And, above all, children should avoid using them before bedtime.
