Dr. Mihai Craiu, on October 16, 2024. Photo: Agerpres
Conference speaker Dr. Mihai Craiu, pediatrician, sent a warning for parents, in the context of the holiday season when they buy gifts for their children.
The well-known doctor draws attention to the dangers that screens represent, especially those of mobile phones, on the cognitive development of minors.
“Pure poison, both for the brain and the body of children,” says the doctor, about the excessive exposure to the screens of modern devices, in a message published on Wednesday on the Facebook page of the Virtual Children's Hospital.
His post is titled “The Toxic Effect of Kids' Too Much Screen Exposure.”
The full message of doctor Mihai Craiu:
- “We all know that excesses are harmful and could be addictive with long-term harmful effects.
- But we rarely think that these effects can affect us or our loved ones… Because yes, we often think that this cannot happen to us…
- Let's take a look at the preliminary results of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
- This study, conducted on more than 10,000 teenagers followed between 2018 and 2020. Two-thirds of them had a mobile phone from a young age (11 years on average). And them?
- The effects of exposure to social media via smartphone were visible even to someone without specialized training in behavioral science or psychiatry.
- Early exposure to social media was BAD for these kids' bodies, too—40% were obese or overweight, and 62% had trouble sleeping (with a lack of it) than those kids not exposed to cell phone-delivered content.
- What can we do?
- We can avoid overexposure in certain windows of vulnerability:
- 1. No screen at all, for children under 18 months (except for some video contacts with close, distant relatives).
- 2. Ages 2 to 6 should be no more than one hour of screen time with quality, educational activities.
- 3. From 6 to 12 years, a personalized plan should be made, with the consent of the family. In this plan, the introduction of mobile phones is excluded.
- Beware of the gift…poisoned!!
- Because the month of gifts is coming and we could give in to our children's requests and buy them a mobile phone!
- Before the age of 12 this tool is…pure poison, both for your children's brain and body.“
The ABCD study on which the pediatrician's warning is based can be consulted here.
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