Mumbai: How increased screen time effects child’s emotional and behavioural wellness

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The social isolation and increased screentime brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in children's lives is revealing its impact in the form of developmental, emotional and behavioural struggles. According to experts in the field of child development, while adults went back to the old normal post-pandemic, children, especially those in their early years, have been left behind without the necessary support and skills to cope with a new social reality.

According to Dr Sameer Dalwai, member of the State COVID Task Force (Children) and director of New Horizons Child Development Centre, while both young children and adolescents are facing issues, the prevalence is more among children aged below five years. In a period of two years, on an average, three families sought help at his centre daily. Many of the children who sought help are on the autism spectrum; they had missed out on the treatment owing to the lockdown. Many parents were completely unaware of their child's struggles and were shocked by the diagnosis.

Experts pointed out that in nuclear families, addiction to gadgets and the stress of studies increases children's vulnerabilities. Representation pic

"Children's exposure to TV and mobile screens increased during the lockdown. Between 2021 and 2022, our centre catered to 2,258 children. Even though the parents were at home, they were busy with work. With children not even able to venture outside, screen time and social isolation increased drastically. Children's normal social life was lost, and anxiety and fear were rampant. Parents gave in to children's demands by allowing more screen time, but no heed was paid to providing daily love and affection," Dr Dalwai said.

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Dr Dalwai continued, "When the pandemic ended, the routine resumed, and adults tried to compensate by working harder. However, children are left in the lurch. Children who were two years old when the pandemic began joined school at the age of four or five without the necessary social skills required to adapt to school life. Children who were aged above five years at the start of the pandemic missed out on academics. These children are lagging academically and are facing immense stress to cope. This has led to behavioural and emotional struggles of children worsening across age groups. Further, children who had mild developmental issues are sufferring even more post-pandemic."

A social issue, not medical

According to doctors, while schools provide education, relatives and neighbours provide the social affinity needed by children. This is why the presence of and interaction with loved ones before children begin school is extremely important.

These changes and challenges observed in children's behaviour are not a disease, but issues in socialisation which can be overcome through meaningful interactions with family, rather than through therapy by medical professionals.

The New Horizons Child Development Center provides online coaching to parents whose children are struggling socially, emotionally or behaviourally. They are taught to increase social connections with children and foster a supportive family environment around them to prevent such issues.

Need more awareness

Dr Barkha Chawla, a paediatrician, said that it is important to make people more aware of treatments for children with behavioural disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning disorder (SLD), and intellectual disabilities. "Often, parents do not know that their children are facing difficulties. This delays treatment. Therefore, it is necessary that parents be alert to any delays in the development of children," Dr Chawla said.

Dr Upendra Kinjwadekar, president, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, said that child development is one of the main aspects of children's health. "Often, in nuclear families, addiction to gadgets, the stress of studies and environmental factors affect the development of children. Therefore, it is essential that developmental services reach every child in time," Dr Kinjwadekar said.

Parents speak

Roshan Sayed, a parent, told mid-day, "In 2020, my three-year-old daughter was not able to speak. She used to sit alone. When we used to call her by her name, she would not even respond. Then we approached Dr Dalwai, who began online sessions and then offline therapy was started. Now we can see the improvement. She is interacting with us and having eye-to-eye contact. We were told to decrease her screen time which also showed results."

Another parent who did not wish to be named said, "My five-year-old child is autistic. He was doing well with the help of treatment. However, the schools were closed during lockdown, and he was stuck at home. Most of our time was spent working, while my child spent most of his time watching TV and playing games. We noticed that he was not listening to us, and slowly, he became violent as no one used to play with him. The change in behaviour was a major concern for us. With the help of treatment, there has been improvement compared to last year. Still, he spent much of his time in front of screens."

2,258
No. of children catered to by the New Horizons Child Development Centre