DIGITAL MEDIA ADDICTION IN KIDS: WHAT EVERY PARENT MUST KNOW

Introduction

Digital media overload seems to be steadily extending its grip on children lesser than two years. Currently, 90% of parents report that their children younger than 2 years watch some form of electronic media. By 3 years, almost one-third of children have a television in their bedroom. Parents report that they view television as a peace keeper and a safe activity for their children while they are preparing dinner, getting ready for work, or doing household chores. 

Dopamine overload:Cause & Effects

Dopamine, this feel good Neurotransmitter is an essential hormone which helped our ancestors to survive during prehistoric times in  finding food and fending for themselves. It helped in providing them with the motivation to survive. Dopamine  primarily generates another feeling , and that is of desire.It tells your brain to pay particular attention to whatever triggers the dopamine surge. Our brain interprets the task as critical for survival. As we get more and more of dopamine, its effect is reduced. The brain demands more of it by way of neuroadaptation. This leads to compulsive addiction.It makes you want things and do it even if you end up not liking the activity.Not fulfilling the Dopamine boosting task proves  very frustrating to humans especially children. At this stage the parents realise that their kids are addicted to digital overload.Your  fight in current scenario is not against your children but against this dopamine guided  neural pathway. 

Neurodevelopmental Consequences

Children's heavy reliance on screen media has raised serious public health issues.  Studies have examined the effects of screen time on many developmental domains. Screen media has a wide range of cognitive consequences, with both beneficial and detrimental effects noted. Screens can improve education and learning; however, too much time spent in front of a screen and multitasking with other media has been related to worse executive functioning and academic performance. As screen time reduces the amount and quality of interactions between children and their caregivers, it can also have an impact on language development. Additionally, excessive screen usage has detrimental effects on social and emotional growth, including a rise in the likelihood of obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. It can obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one's psychological health in general.

Excess screen time is at the cost of sleep in kids, and sleep deprivation turns out to be the major culprit. Common commodities of delayed sleep phase syndrome are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like behaviours and depressive symptoms. Many children who are unable to fall asleep at the required time have daytime sleepiness at school, which may preclude full participation in classroom activities. Giannotti and colleagues have shown that children with delayed sleep phase syndrome frequently have problems with daytime sleepiness, attention, emotional outbursts, and poor school achievement. In addition, they reported an increased frequency of physical injuries. Several studies have reported an association with ADHD, as well as oppositional problems and conduct disorder. Mood disorders, particularly depression, are frequently associated with circadian rhythm problems. It can be a challenge for the clinician to treat these patients, as the relationships with behavioural or emotional problems are likely bidirectional with the circadian disorder. Many of the adolescents with delayed sleep phase disorder are labelled as having behavioural problems, but if they are allowed to sleep until later in the morning, their symptoms abate.

Sleep deprivation & dopamine

Dopamine (DA)is an important neurotransmitter in brain. Dopaminergic neurons are mainly located in the mid brain and diencephalon. The pathways of dopaminergic neurons can similarly be divided into four systems: the tubero hypophyseal pathway, the substantia nigra striatum system, the mid brain limbic system, and the mid brain cortex pathway. The latter two mainly regulate human mental, emotional and behavioural activities.  It is believed that type I schizophrenia is associated with hyperactivity of these two pathways. In early stages of development, changes in DA affect the proliferation, migration, synaptogenesis, and neurogenesis of specific subgroups of neurons, affecting the neural circuits in specific regions, leading to neurological diseases. The DA system is highly dynamic and is affected by many external factors, such as drugs, social environment, stress & Digital overload. Considering its complexity and interaction with multiple factors, any imbalance in this delicate system can lead to neurocognitive imbalance in the developing brain.

Parenting Tips 

Parents must realise that discomfort can be a catalyst for growth . By utilizing  frontal cortex and its numerous connections child can learn to be stronger,more independent and more emotionally intelligent. This happens by learning to navigate through unpleasant emotions in life.

 American association of Paediatricians, discourage media use by children younger than 2 years.In case your child is showing features of digital overload, here are a few tips to reverse the trend.

1. Switch Off and Remove the dopamine triggering device from sight for at least 5 minutes. The child will throw tantrums but as the Dopamine dip normalises they return back to their normal selves.

2. As parents you need to find out,which activity gives your child the right amount of dopamine. It should be ideal. Enough to keep his/hers interest alive but not so much ( in quality or quantity) as to make them addicted.This part needs parenting skills in understanding the child's likes and dislikes and introducing activities which might be interesting and captivating to the young mind.It can be art, painting , drawing,dancing, sports or  any creative or problem solving  pursuits.  

3. Create places in your house where the addictive devices cant be seen or accessed and replacing it with outdoors might prove successful.

4. Narrow down the usage time gradually in terms of content quality  and time spent.At first try to shift their interest in playing adventure games which are complex and cognitively challenging. Then slowly get them on to outdoor pursuits.

 Families should be encouraged to provide supervised independent play for infants and young children during times at which a parent cannot sit down and engage in play with the child. Caregivers must shift towards unstructured, unplugged play in allowing a child's mind to grow, problem-solve, think innovatively, and develop reasoning skills. Unstructured playtime is more valuable for the developing brain than any electronic media exposure.Setting boundaries, utilizing parental controls, and demonstrating good screen behaviour are all techniques that parents may use to manage children's screen usage. We can reduce the possible negative impacts of digital overload and promote children's healthy development and well-being by increasing knowledge and encouraging alternative activities that stimulate development.