An invention that has come to rob many families of their peace.

It's easy to see how computers,  tablets and video games  They have become a little more complicated for us, despite having been invented and used initially to make our lives easier.

At the moment,  Thanks to computers and the internet, we can do many things without leaving home. We can work, shop,  Study online, learn a language with a native teacher, talk to people who live far away  And now, with artificial intelligence, we even have someone telling us what to do to solve a problem. The issue is that we lose control of the technology, and instead of using it, we become dependent on it.
Imagine if an adult with a well-developed brain and will tends to fall into this type of dependency,  as  It will be for a child who is just beginning to understand the world and his emotions.

The big problem is that a child's brain doesn't develop optimally when it doesn't use all its senses, and the critical issue is that it misses those crucial learning windows. So, if a child is given a screen where they are only receiving information automatically and passively, their brain won't mature, and they will miss that window or sensitive period.

For example, a child learns to speak (sensitive period 0 to 4 years) thanks to the social and language interactions that he observes and hears in his parents with other people and with himself.

A child who hasn't had opportunities to move around often experiences learning difficulties because purposeful movement is what develops the neural connections that form the basis of learning. Many studies, for example, link reading and writing difficulties to children who didn't crawl.

Specific studies link screen time to difficulty falling asleep, anxiety, problems with emotional control, difficulty socializing, and, in young children, difficulty acquiring language. In young people, in addition to the above, the biggest problem is the use of social media, where it seems that  They have another identity and what happens to them on social media affects their self-esteem and real identity.

It is very sad and alarming to observe that in  restaurants, parks, or even meetings  most families or  Friends keep their phones in their hands, and in the case of children, their tablets, disrupting face-to-face interpersonal communication. When a phone gets in the way of a face-to-face conversation, it's a problem.  It's because we're giving more importance to that screen than to the human being, and that's what's becoming normalized.  When you observe a child or young person who is not making eye contact  with the person you are communicating with… is a symptom of misuse of screens.

 For all the above reasons, the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not recommend the use of screens in children under 24 months, and in children aged 2 to 5 years it should be limited to a maximum of one hour per day.

Therefore, we must be observant and critical of ourselves and protect our families from screens, which can be our best friends or our worst enemies.  I invite you to learn to play an instrument, to walk in nature, to detoxify by staying away from electronics for at least a couple of hours a day. 

You'll feel so much better, you'll feel at peace! Because human beings aren't meant to be controlled by screens. Don't let them control your family and your peace.  

Ms. Meiby Lisset  Argueta de Pérez

Clinical Psychologist. Master's degrees in Education and Social Sciences

Certified TNS Therapist

Montessori Guide Certified by MACTE
Fb: Montessori 4U