Facebook addiction and its impact on children

Pratiti Shirin writes for DOT : 
Facebook and other social networking sites as well as electronic gadgets have been found to hinder the cognitive development of children and contribute towards mental disorders such as hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and eye problems. According to an OfCom study, in UK, the average time spent online by children in 2005 was 7.1 hours per week but by 2007 it had doubled to almost 14 hours. According to neuroscientists, this prolonged exposure to social networking sites is harmful for young children for a number of reasons. Firstly, children do not learn social communication skills since online chatting does not take place in real time.
Secondly, children may not learn to take consequences for an action because in the virtual world, one is less inhibited, less embarrassed and more relaxed than communicating face-to-face in real life conversations.
Thirdly, is the problem of the ADHD because in the virtual world, one gets instant updates on one’s newsfeed and children get accustomed to the thrill of the moment which does not always happen in real life. Indeed, the threefold increase in the prescription for Methylphenidate over the last decade in UK might be traced to the increased addiction to social networking sites, according to an article published in the Daily Mail on 24, January, 2019. This is the drug which controls ADHD. Fourthly, a sense of lack of empathy can develop among children since in the virtual world, one does not know how the other party is feeling. This in turn could be related to the diagnosis of autism which has increased worldwide. Finally, the internet creates a loss of sense of identity and self with social networking sites not drawing clear boundaries between the public and the personal space. One can post anything and everything on them. When one can tweet or write about one’s inner feelings to strangers, question remains what is left for oneself? This might contribute to creating disorientation with regard to one’s sense of self.
Indeed, according to neuroscience predictions, brains of future might become infantilized with people having shorter attention spans, an inability to empathise and a weak sense of identity and belonging. An extreme prediction is an overall decrease of world population because of people’s inability to have children because they are unable to form meaningful relationships.
In Bangladesh, we often see parents using social networking sites without minding children. Adults are often not conscious of the far-reaching effects a gadget can have on young and impressionable minds. Without taking heed of that, parents may contribute to causing irreversible psychological damage to their children. Studies reveal that contrary to popular belief, it is not the teacher but the parents who have the most impact on forming a child’s psychological make-up which happens during the first five years of a person’s life. Children blindly imitate an adult’s behaviour and a guardian therefore has to be extremely cautious as to how they should behave in front of and behind the child with regards to their action and words and also, with their use of gadgets. The truth is one does or will not die from their minimal use of social networking sites. Other than being labeled as unsocial, using the former minimally has not been linked to causing brain damage or any other form of damage. Rather, living a social-networking-site-free-life reduces stress which may increase daily productivity, not to mention that it guarantees a healthy psyche of one’s child. Yes, at a certain point the child themselves might want to have a social networking account which is perfectly fine if they are a bit grown up and being made aware of the negative aspects of those sites from parents, before the child is able to open such an account.
More than anything else, it is therefore up to the parents, to protect children from the harmful effects of social networking sites.
The writer is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She can be reached at pratshirin85@du.ac.bd.