It is a tragic story. A two-year-old child was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors stated that the child could be cured, but the medical expenses would be huge. Parents were determined to give the best treatment for their child. The child was left in the hospital, where nurses cared. The child spent most of the time watching cartoons on the screen. Parents went out daily, raised their funds in three months. The child was treated and became free of cancer. Nevertheless, the child had a mental problem, behaved like a cartoon character, had no cohesive speech, and was addicted to screens. Doctors said that they cannot treat the child of this addiction; it depends on how the child may or may not recover.
Safe and Unsafe
Cheaper smartphones and data connections have made it possible for parents to give their children smartphones. Parents give smartphones for safety, and to locate children where they are and communicate. Smartphones are both safe and unsafe; they provide physical safety but digital harm; they build community and destroy it; they support education but also distract from it. However, Kaitlyn Reghr, in the book ‘Smartphone Nation’, recommends that children should stay off a smartphone until their 16th birthday.
Parents are exhorted:
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) The primary responsibility of parents is to train their children in the way they should go: growing in the fear of the Lord, understanding God’s requirements, and leading an upright life.
Age-appropriate training
Infants who barely walk cannot be trained for a marathon race. An infant of two years will not be given a knife to cut vegetables. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended no screen time for infants below two years and a maximum of one hour for those between 2 and 4 years. Similarly, a child should be kept away from smartphones, shown under a parent’s supervision, and then given time to access them independently.
Addicted parents?
Smartphone addicted parents cannot guide children properly.
Am I a smartphone addict?