Child health professionals, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), recommend that children do not spend much time in front of a screen, due to the negative effects that could have on their development excessive use of devices such as mobiles, tablets and television.
But another aspect that they have also indicated to us that we should consider, is the type of content to which our children are exposed, since the effects can also vary depending on the content used. Now, a recent study has found that Internet use negatively impacts the cognitive system, so they warn about the effects it could have on the brain development of children and adolescents.
Published in the magazine World psychiatry, and conducted by a team made up of specialists from different universities in the United States, Australia, Belgium and the United Kingdom, the study analyzed in depth the impact that the Internet has on brain structure and functioning.
In Babies and moreAbusar of "screen time" would affect children's intelligence, are we taking care of its use?As we know, in recent Internet is becoming the most widely used medium for the spread of news and information, completely reinventing the way in which we consult and investigate data, consume news and entertainment, and also, influencing our image before the world and even our relationships with other people.
When we think of how much life has changed having access to the InternetProbably some of the things that come to our mind are that it helps us meet new people, be more in touch with our friends, keep friendships alive despite the distance, continue studying from anywhere, shop online and It has even given us job opportunities that did not exist 15 or 20 years ago.
But in addition to completely changing our rhythm of life, the way we interact with others and the speed with which we have access to information, Internet use is also changing our brain processes.
In their study, the researchers consulted recent psychological, psychiatric and neurological findings related to the use of the Internet, to analyze some existing hypotheses about how its use affected people's cognitive system.
The researchers explored how these unique features of the online or digital world were influencing three areas: attention span, memory processes and social cognition. Each of them was selected for a particular reason:
- The attention span, because the constant flow of information it makes us divide our attention by various means, at the expense of prolonged concentration.
- Memory processes, because that vast and ubiquitous source of information begins to alter the way we get, store and even the way we value knowledge.
- Social cognition, such as the ability in which the online social scenarios resemble and evoke social processes "in the real world", creating a new interrelation between the Internet and our social lives, including aspects such as self-perception and self-esteem.
In Babies and more Two or more hours a day of "screen time" increases the likelihood of having attention problems in preschoolersIn general, the evidence they found indicates that Internet is producing strong and constant alterations in each of these areas of cognition, which could be reflected in changes within the brain.
However, they comment that the effects of the widespread use of social media and the Internet on children and young people need to be determined with more research, because they are also of the main users and are in a phase of their development that is crucial for the refining of their cognitive abilities.
Does it mean that we should ban our children from accessing the Internet?
Not necessarily. As we have commented when sharing other studies about the effects of excessive use of screens in children and adolescents, everything falls into the way in which we use them. Caring for the use of devices and the Internet is not only setting time limits, but also, take care of the type of content to which children and adolescents are exposed.
Using parental control applications, setting time limits and of course, educating our children to use the Internet intelligently and responsibly, are some of the measures we can take to avoid the negative effects that could be caused by improper use.
In Babies and more Recommendations (by age) on physical activity and screen time in childhoodAs for this new study, the important thing would be find a balance between Internet use, which alters the way of obtaining and processing information, as well as relationships with others, with essential activities for this type of development, such as social interaction and physical activity.
Photos | iStock
Via | ABC
