Smartphones and children: Growing warnings from mental health experts.

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Concern is growing in scientific and medical circles regarding giving smartphones to children at an early age, amid warnings of long-term psychological and behavioral effects that may threaten their emotional, social, and mental development. Despite the access to the internet and various applications that smartphones provide, recent studies indicate that they may lead to addictive behaviors and psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation, especially when used excessively. According to "Psychology Today," prominent researchers, such as Jean Twenge, Sherry Turkle, and Jonathan Haidt, linked the widespread adoption of smartphones in 2012 to rising rates of psychological problems among adolescents, a crisis that deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, which reinforced feelings of anxiety and loneliness among generations. Behavioral and Psychological Effects Experts indicate that children who grow up relying on smartphones may face difficulties in: - Developing empathy skills and understanding the feelings of others. - Building effective social communication. - Paying attention and maintaining focus. - Establishing healthy relationships in the future. A specialist in behavioral psychology said: "If you give your child a smartphone before they are mature enough to understand its power, you risk raising someone who has difficulty learning and communicating, and may face challenges in the workplace and social relationships." Externally Dependent Thinking Among the negative effects is also that smartphones promote external thinking, where the child tends to blame the surrounding environment for their failures or problems, instead of learning internal coping skills and facing challenges. In light of these warnings, experts call on parents and educators to delay giving smartphones to children, and encourage them to interact realistically with their surroundings to build a healthy foundation for mental and social growth.