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Expert blames high tech homes for restless rugrats

Growing numbers of young children are turning up at doctor’s offices because of seemingly uncontrollable restlessness. According to senior child psychologist Hanna Manninen agitation in children is a common symptom of a mental development disorder – and she says parents are to blame for over-stimulating their kids with technology.

News screen time

Smartphones, computers, game consoles and television sets have taken over the lives of many people. Visual and audio stimulants affect everyone, but small children are especially sensitive to them as their brains are just taking shape.

According to Hanna Manninen, an expert in child psychology and deputy chief physician at Turku University Hospital (TYKS),  parents should stop and consider the effect on an infant of a constantly blaring television set.

"It modifies the sensory system, the brain and the entire nervous system. It's become almost impossible to find room for peace: to be quiet, to be together, to listen to the mood of togetherness and thoughts," Manninen said.

TV ban in toddler homes

Writing in a Finnish medical journal, Manninen said that long term restlessness often indicates emotional regulation disorder in a young child. The ability to regulate emotions develops with sufficient positive interaction with parents or other caregivers, she noted.

Manninen said that it’s especially important to establish early interaction with infants; however technological devices often interfere with these relations.

"It doesn’t occur to some parents what the impact is when a small child constantly watches television alone and is not interacting with his or her parents," she noted.

The senior Turku hospital physician said that during her interaction with patients she has noticed that keeping the television set on has become more of a rule than an exception. Children are often cared for around the TV – that’s not a good thing, she cautioned.

"All the attention is on the television even if it’s only showing commercials that no one is interested in. It distracts attention from the parents, gives off light and sound and shows movement. It creates a child’s impression of a surprising world to which they are drawn," Manninen explained.

Look at your kids, not your phone

Apart from the television, another device that disrupts interaction between parent and child is the mobile phone.

"Very often we see situations where mom and dad are pushing a baby in a stroller or walking with a young child and staring at their phones. The child might try to engage the parents many times, but they don’t notice because they are so engrossed in their phones."

Manninen speculated that the majority of parents don’t consider the damaging effects of their behavior on their children’s development. Many parents do limit their children’s screen time – but then turn around and use electronic media recklessly.

"The guidelines about screen time are absolutely essential for the parents of small children too!" Manninen concluded.

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