Listen to Story Excessive screen time, a growing concern among parents and healthcare professionals, has become synonymous with "addiction". Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman, in his paper published in the Journal of the International Child Neurology Association , explains addiction as "a term increasingly used to describe the growing number of children engaging in a variety of different screen activities in a dependent, problematic manner". This troubling phenomenon is indirectly leading to a range of disorders in India.
SCREEN TIME-RELATED DISORDERS IN CHILDREN One major problem that this activity of looking at a screen for a long period has directly given rise to is the obesity epidemic. Obesity has further led to a series of health issues. On the one hand, the young are hooked to screens and, on the other, India is facing a growing burden of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
The ripple effects of these physical and mental health challenges can be profound, setting the stage for long-term health problems that could persist into adulthood. Unregulated screen time can cause changes in the brains of children, and not so much in adults since their brains are already developed. This can stunt their neural development and increase their screen dependency.
One major problem that this activity of looking at a screen for a long period has directly given rise to is the obesity epidemic. (Photo: Getty Images) According to a research published in .