Staying off online platforms

Tiny tots, even before they are out of their cradles, showing a marked ‘craving’ for smartphones is a trait that the ‘proud’ parents cannot resist flaunting to the extent that a majority of them equate the desire as an indication of the child’s latent brilliance.

Throwing tantrums around for refusing them a few minutes of solace with the handsets, even toddlers have not been above exhibiting their anger and disappointment, and in no uncertain terms at that.

So carried away are the parents by the belligerence of their kids, that for them these shows of aggression are merely sources of amusement.

Parents boasting about their child’s proficiency with mobile phones at that tender age where he/she should be playing with toys make one wonder whether they are prodigies in the making. For, toys are what these electronic gadgets become in their hands.

One is at loss to understand how this ‘affinity’ has come about where ‘depriving’ the child of his most desirable plaything would amount to a blot on proper parenting.

Nevertheless, according to a paediatrician, parents who are very proud of their children’s adroitness with the mobile applications and expertness while interacting with the screen need to understand that so far these swiping and tapping skills do not seem to translate to much else.

It is however that proclivity shown by children at an early age to dabble in social media apps that comes by as a natural consequence of their adeptness in handling cellphones.

How right is it to expose children to handheld devices as means of distraction and play! The child needs to be eased off ‘mobile’ dependency at the earliest by being made to inculcate more effective habits that will stand him in good stead during his formative years.

The child needs to know and experience a life outside of the artificial ambience that a mobile screen affords. Addiction to mobile sets is a subject that has been dealt with profusely.

Yet, one is left with a nagging feeling that all these deliberations have been confined to lecture halls without anything much coming off these discussions. However, the question as to whether young children should have their own mobile phones throws around a lot of contradictory arguments.

There is nevertheless a consensus over the fact that the children at such tender ages need to be discouraged from going online and becoming privy to contents that can only be considered taboo for them.   

With modern technology being such a vital part of our everyday lives, it becomes all the more necessary to understand that young children's obsession with smartphones is a preoccupation which needs to be nipped in the bud.   

Yet, can anyone deny that mobile phones are part of that essential paraphernalia which describes the children of the new age! In fact today’s child is a true personification of modern technological advances.

The screen-time debate around childhood has scaled heights to descend to a level where the mere acceptance of the bland truth that this harsh reality has come to pervade our senses makes up for the ennui on this matter.

‘Nomophobia’ or the fear of being without a mobile phone is indicative of the smartphone addiction that has come to consume our youngsters. If one could enumerate the advantages of having a cellphone, the detriments however could make one loathe this compulsion.

Constantly checking and updating their social media accounts and prioritizing online interactions over face-to-face ones, children are today redefining the true concept of friendship and building lasting connections. But the sad part is that it happens more in cyberspace than in real life.

However, the news that Australia plans to set a minimum age for kids using social media should encourage a global effort to introduce laws on similar lines to minimize mobile-addiction amongst children.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took to his social media accounts to announce that his government wants to set a minimum age to use social media platforms in a move he said was designed to reduce online risks for children. “It’s about supporting parents and keeping kids safe.”

If Australia enacts such a law, it would be one of the first governments to forbid young children from using social media.

There is a broad political will in Australia to set an age limit for social media. The Australian PM emphasized that staying off online platforms could enrich children’s lives. The government, the PM added, will introduce legislation to this effect later this year. “I want kids to have a childhood. I want them off their devices and onto the sports fields.”

While there is no specific age limit for owning a mobile phone in India, the IT Act recommends that children below 18 years should be guided by parents or guardians when accessing online services. The POCSO ACT mandates that children below 18 years of age require parental consent for online activities.

But do kids actually wait to attain that age to participate in online social networking! Very active on social media even before they step into their teens, one would find no fault with the claim that social media plays a big role in teen culture today.

Let us however not forget that the allure of social media is not without its perils. Cyberbullying, for instance, considered the most common online risk for teens, is that dark side of that highly regarded interactive medium which can also spew out venomous contents that could be equally disturbing.

Parental monitoring or bringing about awareness among youngsters about indulging in excessive mobile use will not serve any purpose at an age where rebellious moods set in no sooner than children sense a threat to their ‘freedom’.

The chiding and admonishments should have come at that tender age where the fondness for mobile phones was slowly turning into an obsession for the kids.

The meek surrender to an overpowering lassitude is to be blamed for the failure of the parents on this matter.