๐๐ฎ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐. ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ค, ๐๐.๐ฟ.
(This article is a continuation of the previously published article titled “Navigating Kids’ Mental Health in a Digital Age.”)
Children’s mental health is increasingly at risk in the digital age, which presents several challenges for parents. These challenges include a lack of understanding of emerging technologies, the digital gap between parents and their children, the consequences of excessive screen time, rising physical health issues, and impaired social development.
Lack of understanding of emerging technologies.
Parents who don’t understand the latest apps, social media platforms, and online trends struggle to monitor their children’s online activities. This makes it harder to protect them from potential dangers like cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and online predators.
Digital gap between parents and their children.
Moreover, if parents do not understand the digital world that their childrenย liveย in, children may feel that their parents do not understand them, and this can lead to social isolation within the family unit.
Consequences of excessive screen time.
Excessive screen time presents a multifaceted threat to youth well-being, affecting both physical and mental health. Physically, prolonged screen use contributes to eye strain, sleep disturbances, obesity, musculoskeletal problems, and headaches.
The blue light emitted from devices disrupts sleep patterns, while sedentary behavior associated with screen time increases the risk of weight gain and related health issues.
Mentally and emotionally, excessive screen time can lead to heightened anxiety and depression, often exacerbated by social media use and exposure to cyberbullying. It can also impair cognitive function, leading to attention deficits and reduced concentration.
For example, when a child spends a lot of time scrolling through social media, she might compare her life to the perfect images of influencers and friends. She sees pictures of her friends at parties she wasn’t invited to, making her feel lonely and not good enough. Plus, the endless photos and videos with filters can cause her to worry more about how she looks and where she fits in socially.
Rising physical health issues.
The digital age introduces a range of physical health concerns beyond the commonly recognized issues. “Text neck” and related posture problems arise from prolonged downward gazing at devices, leading to chronic neck pain and potential spinal damage. Skin irritation, or digital dermatitis, can result from prolonged contact with device metals.
Furthermore, excessive headphone use poses a risk of noise-induced hearing loss, while flickering screens and electromagnetic fields may trigger headaches and migraines. Repetitive strain injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome, are increasingly prevalent due to frequent keyboard and touchscreen use.
Impaired social development.
Reduced opportunities for face-to-face interaction can hinder the development of social skills, such as nonverbal communication and emotional regulation. They are used to interacting with online contacts and consider them to be real friends, even if they have never met them.
Why is mental health in school important?
Since children’s mental health encompasses overall well-being and academic success, collaborative efforts among schools, families, and communities should ensure that all children and adolescents achieve positive academic and behavioral outcomes.
Schools must care about kids’ feelings and thinking, not just their grades. When kids feel good inside, they learn better. If they’re sad or worried, they can’t pay attention.
Moreover, kids learn how to get along with others and handle problems better when they feel safe and happy at school. If schools understand kids’ feelings early on, it can stop bigger problems later. It helps kids grow into healthy adults who can do well in life.
School-based and school-linked services can be designed to meet students’ mental health needs effectively. The key to making these mental health services successful is to ensure they are comprehensive, coordinated, and accessible to both students and their families.
Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, one of the world’s largest software companies, said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.
Furthermore, Albert Einstein said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”
How can parents better connect with their children?ย
When supporting teenagers,ย it’s essential to adopt a compassionate mindsetย rather than trying to “fix” their problems. Parents should begin by listening to them non-judgmentally, allowing them to express their feelings openly.ย They must frame their statements as questions to encourage dialogue and deepย understandingย rather than imposing their views.
Additionally, parents must try to spend time with them on their own terms, respecting their preferences and interests. Finally, parents should take a moment to reflect on their own teenage experiences, as this can help them empathize and connect with their struggles more effectively.
In conclusion, parenting does not come with simple solutions or easy paths. However, by prioritizing a balance between digital interactions and real-life experiences, actively educating themselves, setting clear boundaries, and encouraging open dialogue, parents can provide their children with the tools they need to succeed.
Above all, parents should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in raising their children. When challenges arise in child-rearing, rather than becoming frustrated or overwhelmed, they should turn to God for support. By entrusting their difficulties to Him, they can find comfort and solutions.
๐๐ณ. ๐๐บ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐. ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฐ, ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ช๐ณ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ด๐บ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฅ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฏ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด , ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ช๐ค ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ถ ๐๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ 7, 2025.