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News Topical, Digital Desk : In today's digital age, children's smartphones have become commonplace. Whether it's entertainment or education, they rely on their phones for everything. However, most of their time is spent scrolling through social media. These 15-30 second reels and shots have given children an instant dopamine addiction.
Overexposure to social media is having an impact on children's attention span, or their ability to focus. If your child is exhibiting these five symptoms, consider them a warning sign and focus on reducing their social media time. Let's learn about these symptoms.
get distracted immediately
Content on social media changes so quickly that children's brains are searching for something new every few seconds. If your child checks their phone every two minutes or stares out the window while doing homework or talking to you, their brain is losing its ability to focus on one thing for long.
putting off work for later
A major symptom of a shortened attention span is procrastination. When children face a task that requires mental effort, like solving a math problem, their minds often turn to social media to escape the stress. They often say, "Let me just watch it for five more minutes, then I'll do it." These five minutes turn into hours.
Inability to focus on work
In the age of Reels and Shorts, children's patience is running thin. If they don't get results within 60 seconds, they start to get bored. Whether it's listening to a story, playing a board game, or completing a small project, if they can't focus on something for more than a minute , it's a direct result of digital over-exposure.
Difficulty in reading and writing
Deep reading requires stillness. Children addicted to social media often scan rather than read long paragraphs. They have difficulty deciphering words and understanding sentences. They also frequently get distracted while writing, leading to increased handwriting and grammatical errors.
lose track of time
Does your child forget the world as soon as they pick up their phone? This is called "time blindness." Social media algorithms are designed to make consumers lose track of time. If a child spends hours glued to a screen, forgetting mealtime, sleep, or playtime, it's a concern for their mental development .
What to do to avoid this?
The solution to this problem is not to ban technology completely, but to teach 'digital discipline'.
- No-screen zone – Switch off your phone completely while eating and an hour before sleeping.
- Develop hobbies – Encourage activities like painting, reading or sports that require long periods of concentration.
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