Call to cut children’s mobile phone use

Counsellors in Dubai are calling on schools and parents to work together to reduce children’s use of mobile devices for the sake of their mental health.

Doctors at the Priory Clinic in the UK have backed results from a straw poll on more than 1,000 parents that revealed 44 per cent supported a ban on smartphone use by children under the age of 16.

Ninety-two per cent said social media and the internet had negative effects on their children’s mental health.

“Many studies have highlighted the various dangerous psychological and medical effects of significant smartphone use, particularly on those using them for more than three hours a day,” said Dr Rasha Bassim, a psychiatrist at the Priory Centre in Dubai.

“Research demonstrates the brain chemistry of young people, who are addicted to smartphones and the internet, can become unbalanced.

“This leads to irritability, increase in emotional distress, broken sleep patterns, isolation and higher levels of anxiety and depression.”

The Priory Group poll found that half of parents said their children’s internet use was causing problems with cyber-bullying.

About 41 per cent said it was damaging self-esteem and 47 per cent said it was reducing interaction in families.

Another 43 per cent said it was having a damaging effect on sleep patterns, while 39 per cent said mobile phone use was leading to the early sexualisation of children.

Almost half of the respondents said their child worried about their appearance as a result of the internet and social media.

“Children in this age group really only need a basic phone to keep safe and ensure their parents or carers are aware of their movements,” Dr Bassim said.

“With half of teens now feeling addicted to their mobile phones, a consensus between parents and teachers on the appropriate age for the use of smartphones among young people would remove the burdens that come with them.”

Signs of a child’s phone addiction are irritability, mood swings and reduced social interaction with friends and family.

If children become anxious when unable to send or receive messages, they may have smartphone addiction, said Nadia Brooker, a Dubai psychologist.