Article : Health Risks in The Digital World
Health Risks in The Digital World
It is human nature that every generation tries to provide more facilities for their children than themselves. But it seems that today's generation has handed over the whole world to their children in a small screen. Children can now see mountains, sea, war, epidemics and celebrations with a touch of fingers, but the question is whether they are able to understand the world? Or just looking, without remembering, without deep 'Bed? Between this question, two new habits would emerge And And scrolling culture, which is affecting the mental activity of children's visual memory. 'Bed-Rating' means- staying in bed for a long time and keeping the mobile. Study, mobile, rest everything in one place. This habit often starts in the name of fatigue sadness, but gradually becomes a lifestyle.
According to experts, when the bed becomes a center of waking up and watching the screen, not only sleeping, then the brain does not get clear signals. . This has a direct effect on the quality of sleep and memory building process. " This situation is even more sensitive in the case of children. His brain is still developing. 'Visual processing' i.e. visual processing is the ability, so that the child understands shape, color, distance, direction and speed. Visual memory is the power that he remembers the information seen, whether it is the form of words, someone's face or the identity of the path. These abilities are not developed only by books or screens, but from real -world experiences, such as open space, sports, running, face falling, and understanding objects etc. Watching the screen from a limited distance by constantly staying in bed compresses the visual experience. In such a situation, the child becomes accustomed to fast, bright and constantly changing pictures. Research related to neuroscience suggests that such uniform visual experiences can weaken the brain's ability to focus and special "skills. The effect of this also affects the ability to read and understand later.
This limited view enters the world of 'Im scrolling' i.e. negative, intimidating and crisis filled information without stopping to see the continuous images of epidemics, war, crime and disasters in the minds of children and teenagers that the world is unsafe and scary. According to international studies, such habit increases anxiety, depression and mental fatigue. The worried mind is neither able to focus nor can it remember new information properly. In contrast, the concept of 'Bloom-Scrolling' has come out in recent years, that is, if positive, motivational and enlightening materials are chosen correctly, then it can increase curiosity, optimism and creative thinking in children. But the problem is that most digital platforms design to keep scrolling continuously instead of choosing children thoughtfully Have been done. The purpose of the algorithm is not to increase mental development, but screen-time. The overall effect of 'bed-ratting' and 'scrolling' culture is clearly visible on the attention capacity of children. Teachers say that children are unable to pay attention to any lesson for a long time. Studies on this suggest that excessive screen-use can weaken the action memory and sequential thinking. Sleep is the center of this whole problem. It is a scientifically established fact.
That memory especially during visual sleep achieves stability in memory power. When children are watching the screen in bed till late night, not only sleep duration, its quality also decreases. The blue light coming from the screen suppresses melatonin hormone, which does not give a signal to rest. As a result, the next day starts with fatigue, irritability and distraction. There was a time, when the elders of the family used to ask children easily- 'Tell me a hill.' This was not only the practice of mathematics, but to test the mental activity of the child. From a scientific point of view, remembering the mountain activates all three active memory, sequential processing and visual auditory coordination. The child has to make a visual image of the digits, remember the order and give the correct answer without stopping. Neural system science suggests that such activities of the brain loss 1 responsible Activates special parts, which are for attention and memory. Today when the answer is found on the screen in one click. So that is not a workout of the mind. Many countries of the world have taken the changing situation seriously. Strict guidelines have been implemented on children's social media use in countries like France, Denmark and boats. In Australia, the use of social media by children under sixteen years old has been banned. Europe in many schools, 'Digital Well Being' i.e. balanced use of digital technology has been made part of the curriculum, children learn to use technology, do not become its slave.
The picture in India is a bit complicated. Here digital means are seen as education and form, which is the right opportunity but in this enthusiasm, the effects on children's mental and cognitive health are being ignored. Children's playground in urban houses has not become mobile. Small towns Om Vati increased The same is becoming limited and uniform in towns. It is necessary to say that the problem is not technology, its unbalanced use. Neither in the screen itself Is. As a result of children's visual world Is and not solution, it is a medium. The question is whether children Apart from the screen, there is enough opportunity to see, walk, play and think Have you been? If not, then their Cases Visual memory and understanding will remain incomplete. The role of this parent is decisive. It should be clear that there is a place of equal, all day That the bed is only a place to sleep, No activities center. Deciding screen free time and place, with children Sitting "stuff Choosing and communicating on their digital experience is the need of today. Schools also have to rethink their role. Digital literacy does not only mean the use of technology, but also to explain how the content being served in it is affecting children's minds. It is important to teach children how to make mental distance from negative information and material and how to choose positive information. Children's mental and cognitive health is not only the responsibility of the family, but the whole society. Age-based guidelines, accountability of digital platforms and public awareness need to work together on all three.
Dr. Vijay Garg Retired Principal Malout Punjab
