Experts warn that modern parenting practices, though often well-intentioned, may unintentionally harm children’s development. One common habit—handing children a mobile phone to keep them quiet or encourage eating—may seem convenient but carries long-term risks.
During the early years, when a child’s brain, language, and emotional systems develop rapidly, excessive screen exposure can affect these processes for years. While screens may temporarily calm a child, reduce fussiness, and give parents a moment’s relief, this quiet comes at the cost of natural learning, attention, and emotional growth.
Providing mobile phones during meals diverts a child’s attention from food, taste, and bodily cues, making it harder for them to recognize hunger or build a healthy relationship with eating.
Experts highlight that the consequences of screen overuse are often not immediately visible, but gradually manifest as delayed speech, reduced focus, poor sleep, emotional imbalance, vision problems, weight gain, and anxiety.
Pediatric specialists emphasize that the first two years of life form the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and emotional control. Excessive screen time can limit language development and social skills, while irregular sleep and eating routines can hinder overall mental growth.
Psychologists note that parents often rely on screens out of necessity, especially in nuclear families where child-rearing responsibilities primarily fall on mothers, and busy routines make screen time a quick solution. Over time, this convenience can become a habit, leading to behavioral issues such as stubbornness and restlessness.
Medical experts advise that children require parental attention, adequate sleep, and physical activity, not constant entertainment.
For families where screens are already part of a child’s routine, gradual reduction is recommended. Parents can replace screen time with interaction, play, or shared activities, using tools like a “boredom kit” containing colors, papers, toys, puzzles, and music to keep children engaged.
Experts warn that screens should never replace real parental attention and emotional connection, as doing so poses a silent but profound threat to a child’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
