Demon of the 21st century- A self inflicted pain

Let’s not talk about decades when we used to play outdoors the whole day and there were only 2 TV channels to watch. We looked forward to every Saturday to watch SpiderMan and Star Trek on Sunday. Just a few years ago, before the invention of smart phones, parents used to play “Little Einstein” or “Sesame Street” or “Mickey’s Clubhouse” for their little children and would love watching themselves too. Parents and children both watched the TV together and laughed together. During this TV hour, they interacted with each other, discussed and had a great family time. Then there were these board games that kept the entire family engaged in playing and exercising their intelligence. And then of course, the famous bedtime stories from story books! Fast forward a few years and today, looks like a different and weird world!

Today, parents and children are both found submerged in this mania! Cell phones and tablets have become the norm of keeping children quiet in restaurants, public places or even social events. In fact, adults too are found deeply dived into their social media pages updating about their current statuses….lol! I mean who cares, what dish you ate today, what place you visited today or what clothes you wore! What a show off! What a breach of your own privacy! Why don’t we instead have that social interaction amongst ourselves and teach kids how to enjoy life without depending on these gadgets.

Do our kids use gadgets as Phones or multi-media?

Nowadays, every parent wants to gift their 5th graders a flashy smart phone for their protection in case of emergencies. But, why do we let kids play games for hours? Why do they have phones next to them at home? Why so many text messages? Why should teenagers have social media accounts? They don’t have time to finish their homework and assignments but……! Do you ever monitor their screen times? Don’t be shocked because we are the ones who taught them all this and giving them the access to these dangerous toys in their vulnerable ages.

Why do we let these electronic devices enslave us? We spent hours poking on “likes” without reading the posts, giving “thumbs” and even copy-paste birthday and anniversary wishes but we do not have time to call a friend in months. And the millions of games that we all get addicted to…wow! Where is the time to call our family and friends? Look at this picture….hahaha!

‘Smartphone Blindness,’ And Other Health Hazards Of Our Favorite Gadgets

Alice G. Walton, Senior Contributor, Healthcare

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/06/24/smartphone-blindness-and-other-health-hazards-of-our-favorite-gadgets/

Serious health and behavioral hazards:

1) Depression- due to Lack of social activity

2) Eye strain, Headache, Fatigue and Stress- due to Overworking of cranial and optic nerves

3) Poor sleep patterns- due to Abusing gadgets for long hours

4) Muscle stiffness and in-coordination- due to Sitting in one position for hours

4) Car accidents- due to Texting while driving

5) Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular- due to physical inactivity, sofa-ridden life style and irregular eating

6) Other researched developmental and psycho-neurological disorders like awkwardness in public, shyness to talk, incompatibility issues with others, inability to focus in school, fear of exams, fear of dealing with challenges, etc

While I personally love the technology and the convenience they offer, they should not be abused. Even the makers of these gadgets didn’t intend to cause health hazards and alarming developmental issues in children and adults. I urge my audience to practice resistance to these machines, lead their kids by example so they can live a better life and independent of any gadget.

And for God’s sake, don’t take your million selfies while walking down the hallways…😂