Mobile Usage Affects Child, Adolescent Development

Children and adolescents who use mobile phones are found to be sleep deprived. They are more likely to experience mood swings and have poor mental health, reveals a study on child development. This special section of Child Development, edited by Dr. Zheng Yan and Dr. Lennart Hardell, adds important information to the research in this area.

Dr. Zheng Yan explained said that there are nearly three billion children and adolescents in the world and most of them were, are, or will be various types of mobile technology users, interacting with and being influenced by mobile technology in numerous ways.

The findings revealed that risks of using mobile phones and its radiation impacts brain development.

Mobile technology affects cognitive control and attention in contexts such as parenting and early brain development.

Risks of sexting increases risky behaviour through peer pressure and social media interaction. Mobile technology also affects sleep, mood and mental health.

The findings suggested that mobile technology may pose potential dangers and areas where development may be supported.

An important example is the work summarised by Dr. Lennart Hardell concerning radiation and brain development. Yan further explained that today’s mobile technologies have become a very unique and powerful influence on child and adolescent development.

Yan concluded that its use is very personal for children and adolescents, occurs almost anywhere and anytime and integrates telephone, television, video games, personal computers, the Internet and many new technologies into a portable device.

The evidence indicates complex impacts on young mobile technology users.

The study was published in the Journal of Child Development.



Source-ANI