Israeli study: Mothers’ smartphone use could damage toddler development

Full article online at The Times of Israel here

Parents distracted by their smartphones could be causing long-term developmental damage to their toddlers because they aren’t interacting with them enough, according to a recently published study by researchers at Tel Aviv University.

The research found that interaction between mothers and toddlers is reduced by up to a factor of four when the mother is using her smartphone, the university said in a statement about the research.

Mothers were told to browse a designated Facebook page and like videos and articles they found interesting while their children were at play. In other sessions, they were told to read a printed magazine while marking articles of interest, also while playing with their toddlers, and finally to play with their child when the smartphone and magazine were not in the room.

The research was published in the November/December issue of the top-tier Journal of Child Development.

Full article online at The Times of Israel here

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Addiction

U.S. teens average nine hours a day on screens for entertainment — excluding schoolwork.

Depression and Suicide

Screen overuse is linked to skyrocketing rates of depression and suicide attempts.  

Self Hate

More hours of social media use equals decreased self esteem and poor body image

Eye Damage

Children who spend more hours on “smart” phones, devices, and computers have worse eyesight and increased risk for myopia than those who spend less time on these electronics.

Higher reading on screens is linked to poor eyesight. Blue light from screens can damage cells in the retina and children’s eyes have less protections. Myopia rates are increasing. Outdoor time has been shown to delay myopia onset yet kids’ time spent outdoors is decreasing — in an inverse relationship to the increase in screen use. 

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

Children with two+ hours of screen-time per day had a 7-fold increased risk of ADHD

Tamana et. al 2019.

Sleep Disturbances

Higher screens at bedtime = poor sleep quality, shorter sleep time, and later bedtime. 

Access to a screen-media device in the bedroom at night is associated with shorter sleep duration, later bedtime, and poorer sleep quality

Hale and Guan 2014; Christensen et. al 2016.  

Cancer and Brain Damage

Cell phone radiation can increase risk of brain cancer, damages memory and brain development. Pregnant rats exposed to cell phone radiation produced offspring with fewer brain cells, specifically in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for impulse control, memory, balance, and other essential functions.

Other animal experiments report DNA damage, brain damage, memory problems, hyperactivity, cellular impacts, and oxidative stress in the brain. Women who used cell phones regularly when pregnant had significantly increased risks of premature birth, and increased emotional and behavior problems, hyperactivity, and headaches in their children.  

https://ehtrust.org/israeli-study-mothers-smartphone-use-could-damage-toddler-development/ Source: Environmental Health Trust