The Mobile Phone Is Not A Toy For Children
More and more children between the ages of 10 and 15 have a mobile phone. Parents should not forget that the mobile phone is not a toy for children. Nowadays, this device has become a “necessity”, not only for adults, but also for the little ones.
Every time children ask for a mobile phone at a younger age, and the worst thing is that parents accept to give it to them as if it were just another toy. You have to be very careful because, although it seems that it can be a good resource for children’s entertainment, we must not forget that it is not a children’s toy.
What dangers does the use of mobile phones contain in children? Why can’t it be a substitute for traditional games? If you want to know more, keep reading.
The mobile phone is not a toy for children, but they do not know it
Anything that helps them entertain themselves, children consider a toy, but the mobile is not, even if they do not know it.
According to this definition, any object that the little ones entertain themselves with can be a toy, but this, in practice, is not the case. Toys are those that were designed to entertain and entertain children.
A smartphone was not designed with this interest in entertaining the little ones, although parents sometimes use it for this. A child is not psychologically mature enough to understand how a telephone works, nor the dangers they risk “playing” with it.
The dangers of using your mobile phone
There are many dangers involved in using mobile phones; This has become a tool for children who bully or bullies. Social networks, adult applications, messaging applications, etc., are a danger for children.
Parents sometimes use parental controls to limit their use, but the dangers don’t go away entirely. Some problems derived from its use at an early age can be
- Memory problems.
- Learning delays.
- Attention problems.
- Lack of self-control.
- Impulsiveness.
- Behavior problems
- Technology addiction.
- Risk factor for substance abuse in adolescence.
- Increases the risk of obesity.
- Sleep problems.
- Vision disturbances.
The mobile phone cannot and should not replace traditional games
The mobile phone cannot replace the traditional game, to play with cars, dolls, balls, building blocks or any other toy that helps them develop their imagination and promote their learning. The little ones need to play role plays, imitation, with other children, with their parents or with their pet.
With this we do not mean that they cannot touch the mobile phone occasionally, but, if they do, it must be under the supervision of the parents and establishing parental control to reduce the risks that its use entails.
Another thing that parents should do is limit the time of use of the screens and have educational applications that promote learning and the development of different skills.
Are mobiles necessary for children?
More and more children come home telling their parents that they want a mobile phone and, when they are asked what for, their answers are usually of the type: “my friend has one and I want another”; “because if”; “To talk to my friends” , among others.
In the end, it ends up becoming a vicious cycle among children. In addition, many parents, surely, have wondered if the children are mature and responsible enough to use the mobile properly. In our view, the answer is no.
Why does a child need a phone at the age of 7? You can receive messages or calls that parents cannot control, since they are not 24 hours monitoring their use. The little one should have control, but he does not have that capacity for self-control at those ages.
What can parents do if their child asks for a mobile?
When children ask for a telephone, we must explain to them that the mobile is not a toy for children and give them an example: even if the neighbor has a better car, it does not mean that he is a better person than us; in the same way, because a friend of his has a cell phone, he doesn’t do it better than him.
Fashions, many times, do not have to be good and, furthermore, they lead to making mistakes. For this reason, it is necessary to limit its use and prevent children from using it on a whim.
There are parents who buy a mobile phone for their children because they have a disease or in case they have an emergency, but there are also those who teach their little ones that they do not need a phone to live and that it will arrive when it has to arrive.
Every parent has the right to decide how to educate their children and what to give them or not, but it is important to be informed about the risks involved in their use.
The mobile phone is not a toy for children …
On many occasions, parents use the mobile as a tool to deal with children’s tantrums, but it must be borne in mind that this only manages to calm them momentarily, because the mobile phone is not a toy for children.
It is clear that the decision on whether or not to give a mobile is up to each parent, but it is advisable to wait until the children are old enough and responsible to make proper use of it.
