7 Reasons Why Cell Phone is Bad for Your Child

I am sure your child, like mine, is using a cell phone all the time. It is not a good sign. The constant use of cell-phone interferes with the healthy growth of your child in many ways: 

1.      Life is about cell-phone and nothing else: According to The Wireless Issue in the August 27, 2012 issue of Time Magazine, 68% of the respondents have their cell phone next to their bed when they reply to this question: Where do you place your mobile device while sleeping at night?  It shows that it is with them day and night and life cannot go on without it. All things else are working around the use of cell-phone like doing household chores, cooking, cleaning, and studying.   

2.      Use of cell-phone as a pastime: Instead of spending time in the great outdoors, a cell phone is used instead to relax and unwind. This sedentary lifestyle is not a healthy trend. Sitting at home looking at the small screen encourages munching of junk food and getting obese and lazy.  Very often your child may not be using the correct words while texting. It is a bad habit and it discourages proper English usage.

3.      Develop poor eyesight: Since a cell phone user is looking all the time at a short distance, your child is likely to develop short-sightedness.    

4.      Non-active lifestyle: Everything can be done online from shopping to chit-chatting. Your child is more likely to be inactive. It is convenient but at the cost of a healthy lifestyle.   

5.      Not building real relationships: It is quick and easy to confirm friendship online. There is no way to find a person‘s authentic background. The image can be somebody else’s and the name is fictitious. It is also likely that the person has an ulterior motive in getting to know you.

6.      Affect health negatively: According to Wikipedia, on 31 May 2011, the World Health Organization confirmed that mobile phone use may represent a long-term health risk, classifying mobile phone radiation as a "carcinogenic hazard" and "possibly carcinogenic to humans" after a team of scientists reviewed peer-review studies on cell phone safety. Just imagine the harmful effect of carrying and using the cell phone all day and all night long.

7.      Doing two things at the same time: As reported in the same issue of Time Magazine, people use a mobile device while playing with their children, attending a party, eating at a restaurant, watching TV, and seeing a movie. These habits discourage focus and concentration and not really enjoying what you are doing in the present. It is a bad manner to use a cell- phone in the presence of others. In the same report, people use a cell phone while driving a car which is dangerous.   

What can you do?

       Encourage reading: Promote a reading habit, develop concentration and avoid multi-tasking, It is also an effective way to learn the correct usage of English. 

·       More outdoor activities: Walk or jog in the great outdoors to promote a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Look far away at the greenery to build strong eyesight.

        Join a community and promote face-to-face interaction: Relationships on Facebook and Twitter are not real and may not be truthful. Join community projects and develop a genuine connection.

·         Without the device: The survey by Time Magazine recorded that 11% can go without it for an hour, 29% in one day, 19% in one week, and  34%  for several hours. How long could your child go without it? Challenge your child to focus on something else as long as possible.   

Related post:

5 Ways Cell-Phone is a Stressor