Do you think it is safe for children to use smartphones without parental supervision? Well, researchers have found out that after a certain age, it is safe but before that, the excessive use of smartphones can affect their lives in various ways. Having a smartphone and making use of it for necessity and educational purposes can benefit children to a certain extent but it can also affect their physical and mental health. So, parental supervision is important along with many other factors for the use of smartphones by children. In this article let us discuss in brief the effects of smartphones without parental supervision and when and how to use them correctly.

Smartphones for children – a boon or a bane

While there may be some benefits to using a smartphone for your child, remember there are more negative consequences than that. A positive thing that can be considered is that the child can call the parents in case of an emergency.

Since children do not understand and realize the importance and use of mobile phones, they consider them similar to fun toys. But a parent should not overlook the side effects they can cause.

A growing number of experts are warning that smartphones can have a devastating and negative impact on the physical and mental health of young children. So, parents need to understand that supervision is important and handing over smartphones at the right time of age is vital.

Factors to consider about the use of smartphones on Children without parental supervision

In today’s fast-growing modern era, even young kids and school-going children are found busily handling their mobile phones. Now kids at very young ages of about seven and eight have started owning a mobile phone. But is it the right thing to be encouraged? Let us find out some of the factors that parents should consider before handing over smartphones.

Effects of Smartphones on academics

Children are seen carrying mobile phones even to their schools, which is causing great indiscipline in the class, plus they easily get distracted. Children at school age realize less how should a mobile phone bemused to benefit them, and so they are often caught even playing games on their mobile phones during school hours. This reveals the fact that addiction to mobile phones is affecting their attention span. They fail to concentrate during class as a result of growing interest in their mobile phones.

Effects of Smartphones on Health

Since a child’s brain is too sensitive to withstand the effects of mobile radiation so, it is advisable for parents that they should make smartphones available to their kids only at the right age. Due to the absorption of radiation, children can have severe health issues, since the tissues in the brain and body are still developing, thus these radiations are harmful to them and can cause cell damage. Experts also believe there is a link between cancer and mobile phone usage in children. Various health effects that a child might encounter as a result of excessive use of mobile phones are-

Headache
Fatigue
Loss of sleep
Memory loss
Ringing ears
Joint pains

Misuse of mobile phones

Without parental supervision, there are high chances of misuse of the mobile phone by children. Children can have accidental access to adult websites, or scam websites, which can lead to falling into traps for them. Parents should also note that children at an early age do not realize what is good for them so, they may also get in trouble while browsing through some websites and accidentally clicking on links that are not safe or meant for them.

Using smartphones at the right age

Research has shown that the right age to use mobile phones independently is above sixteen years of age. Children below the age of sixteen should not be given mobile phones since at this age the children are actually transitioning into adults who can make their own decisions, which means parental supervision for the use of smartphones at this age is not required.

The bottom line

We live in a world where a child left with a smartphone without parental supervision can be exposed to dangers at every step. So, parents of children having mobile phones must supervise the usage of mobile phones and take some steps to ensure the safety of the child and wait until the right age at which children are aware of the boons and banes of using mobile phones.