by: Altaf Hussain Rather
Due to the invention of mobile and internet, it would not be wrong to call the last century a revolutionary century, because these inventions have created a revolution all over the world, not only in the personal life of an individual but also in the educational, business and creative fields. Any invention is made positive or negative only by its use. While mobile and the internet have made communication faster, reduced distances, and made work easier, its negative use has also created many difficulties and moral and psychological confusion. It is disheartening when we see our young generation wasting their precious time with excessive use of the screen and we are not being able to do anything to stop them.
It is nowadays a tragedy that mothers are exposing their innocent children to this colorful apocalypse and when the children get used to it, they hold their heads and sit down and then find ways to get the children out of this world of gadgets. In fact, the mind of a small child, for whom every colorful and moving thing is a source of attraction and comfort, soon gets attracted to it and gradually starts getting used to it. Parents engage the children in it, to find ease for themselves and deal with their daily chores with ease, but they do not know that this trend will prove dangerous and harmful for their child’s future.
Today, the use of mobile phones as well as other screens such as computers, laptops, TVs, and tablets is increasing among children. Children are discovering new worlds through these gadgets. Some are spending hours in a world full of action and violence through games, and some are connecting with strangers on various social media apps. Especially during the coronavirus epidemic, it has seen a lot of increase, due to which the daily life of these children has become unbalanced, and anger and irritability are increasing among them. Due to video games, their mood is becoming quarrelsome and they are becoming violent. By staying up all night, they are getting less sleep and their physical health is deteriorating. Laziness and fatigue in children increasing, which is not only keeping them away from education but also destroying their mental abilities.
Children’s physical activities are ending due to the increasing use of screens. Our playgrounds and amusement parks look empty. Their academic results are being adversely affected due to their disinterest in education. Moreover, access to pornographic content from the internet is no less than a killer poison for the young generation, which makes them sexually excited before their natural age. The increasing interest in the screen is making them distant and disgusted with their relationships and religion. The content shown on the screen is gradually destroying our religious identity and structure. The poison of impiety and atheism is spreading among the youth. And all these negative trends are a matter of concern for parents and teachers.
All parents need to be very careful. If they do not keep checks and balances while holding gadgets in their children’s hands, then they themselves will be responsible for ruining their future.
if our young generation spends all the time on the screen, the parents will not get the opportunity to train them and tomorrow when these children become parents, they will have nothing to give their own children in the name of training. And if it continues to be transmitted from generation to generation, the entire society will reach the brink of destruction.
The tragedy is not that today’s youth are demoralizing, but the tragedy is that tomorrow’s children will have demoralized parents. Seeing the situation things are getting out of hand but we still have time to manage this worsening situation. The increasing screen use and trends in children can be controlled by taking emergency measures. Education, Play, and screen time must be set.
We cannot keep children away from modern technology for long, but we can instill discipline in them by staying close to them and monitoring them. Take them with you to the field and park. Keep them aware of the dangers of unnecessary use of mobile phones and other gadgets. Set up a timetable for household chores and routine tasks and keep children with you. Include them in religious activities so that their religious beliefs are strengthened. Their interest in pet care, home decoration, and gardening, drawing, and artwork should be increased and they should be introduced to courses where they can learn new things according to their interests and hobbies and beyond the screen. A new study has found that cutting back on social media and screen use by as little as 15 minutes a day can significantly improve overall health and immunity in children and reduce levels of loneliness and depression.
On the other hand, mobile phone companies should also improve their performance on mobile apps and ensure that positive content is broadcasted to have a positive impact on the minds of the young generation so that the invention of these gadgets can be a blessing instead of a nuisance and our children can make full judicious use of them.
Author is a teacher by profession. He can be mailed at ratheraltaf184@gmail.com
