Nearly
everyone uses a smartphone now including kids. Yes, kids. Kids are
smarter and brighter now, that they have little or no difficulty
navigating handheld devices. Even parents will be surprised by their
knowledge. Of course, you cannot prevent this because we are in the
digital age. However, few people fail to consider the side effects
smartphones have on these kids. Remember, unlike in the past, children
of today grow up early and are exposed to all sorts of
things. We will share 6 things
you should consider before buying a smartphone for kids.
Facebooking Instead Of Reading Books
For
many kids who own smartphones, their new book is Facebook. They spend
so much time on social media that they barely read their books. This
will no doubt affect their output and performance in school. This can be
clearly reflected in the recent failures recorded in national exams.
Early Exposure To Nude Images
With
a smartphone, children get unhindered access to nude images and watch
inappropriate content online. You will not be aware of this except you
check their online activities. But this will be difficult because they
know how to hide these contents.
Sexting
Instant
messaging apps like WhatsApp, BBM and Facebook messengers amongst
others have made it easy for sexting to happen. Sexting means chatting
about sex on the aforementioned instant messaging platforms. A handful
of kids engaged in sexting.
Digital Dementia
Many
kids are now suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). They can
only concentrate on their phones. Children can’t learn if they cannot
pay attention.
Early Addiction
If
your child is having ADD, it is time to take away that phone from them.
This will help them break the addiction before it becomes
uncontrollable. According to a recent study, one in 11 children aged
8-18 years are addicted to technology. You don’t want this for your
child.
Sleep Deprivation
A
child who is addicted to a smartphone will deprive himself sleep. The
consequences of sleep denied is dire because it will affect their
overall life cycle.