Children and smartphones are meeting earlier and earlier. It’s expected; they were born in the century of technology. It is up to parents to decide when they can start using them, weighing the pros and cons.
Smartphones are playing an increasingly important role in the lives of children. Parents, educators, psychologists, technologists, marketers, manufacturers, and marketers have very different opinions on the subject. Do you want to know whether or not you should bring a smartphone into your children’s lives? In this article, we are going to introduce you to 5 advantages and 7 disadvantages of smartphone use by children.
What is a Smartphone?
A smartphone, or smartphone, is a type of phone with better connectivity, data storage capacity, and components than a traditional mobile phone. It’s basically a handheld computer for our children.
Much has been said about its excessive use during childhood and from an increasingly early age. Should we allow it or not? In order to make the best decision, we need to analyze its pros and cons and decide what is best for our children, as well as our family dynamics.
The Benefits of Using Smartphones by Children
They are part of our reality
We live in the age of technology, so denying a child access to a smartphone can be contradictory. How do you explain to them that they can be harmful if they are allowed to play with computers and tablets?
They allow knowledge to be deepened
After class, the use of smartphones, guided by their teachers, can encourage children to seek out information on the topic at hand. This allows them to learn how to use educational tools, to search for interesting information on the subject, and to promote rigorous research instead of simple plagiarism.
They promote safety and contact
Parents can use a smartphone to be in touch with their children, to find out how and where they are. This is to deal with any eventuality or emergency. The smartphone is, in this case, a considerable advantage. Many smartphones are equipped with GPS systems, which allows parents to track the equipment and therefore know where the child is.
They encourage responsibility
When parents allow children to use smartphones, it can be a way of teaching them to be responsible. Not only with the maintenance of the equipment, but also with how much time they spend on their phones, and how they use them.
They can be learning tools
Smartphones can help kids use calendars to find exam dates, take voice notes to remember something interesting, and back up the phones of parents, teachers, and friends. They can also take a picture of a diagram on the board, which will help them in the learning process.
The Disadvantages of using Smartphones by Children
Of course, Smartphones aren’t all good for our kids. Their constant use also presents a number of risks and dangers. Here are some of the downsides of bringing children into the tech world early.
They affect fine motor skills
A child must learn to hold a pencil and write before learning to use a smartphone. The forceps he makes with his index finger and thumb is one of the fundamental stages in the psychomotor development of every child. Some studies have found that the early and excessive introduction of cell phones and tablets takes children away from this simple but fundamental movement.
They limit learning to write
Children who interact through chats, text messages, or social media should shorten words and communicate only with pictures, which can affect the development of written language. It is a basic tool for subsequent performance in higher levels of education.
They promote a form of social isolation
As can be the case with video games, the constant use of a smartphone leads to social isolation. The child plays, surfs, interacts on social networks, but does not communicate with the human beings around him. The development of social skills is an important part of their growth.
They impair mobility and increase childhood obesity
The overuse of the smartphone causes the child to remain seated in a chair or lying in bed at all times of the day. Lack of physical activity seriously affects children’s quality of life avoids childhood obesity!
They interfere with the privacy
The smartphone has all the tools to follow daily life. Your child can take photos and make videos to share on all kinds of social networks. His whole life can quickly be about getting a like, a comment, or gaining a follower. His privacy is also at risk, which can lead to serious complications like the following.
They can make our children victims of cybercrime
Uncontrolled cell phone use exposes children to cyber-harassment or sexual predators. The child may have mistakenly uploaded an intimate photo or video and be the victim of bullying. Or, on the contrary, he can photograph or share another child’s private content and become a bully. Let us be vigilant.
In Conclusion: What Should Parents Do?
The range of advantages and disadvantages of using smartphones in children is very wide. It is the responsibility of parents to control the use of devices and access to the Internet by their children. There are many applications, so it is about being informed, evaluating, and deciding.
It is also important to support them throughout the digital education process. We need to be there, attentive and present, and know what the children are doing, what content they are visiting, and what they are sharing. On the right hand, smartphones are a wonderful tool.
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