Technology, along with providing incredible comfort to the lives of modern people is also coming up with negative effects. Surprisingly, technology addiction goes down to babies as young as 1.

Reports show that more and more people are suffering from "technology addiction" and the "Fear Of Missing Out" (FOMO).

Technology Addiction in Children  

According to experts, the negative effects of technology addiction have begun to manifest themselves in children, which causes degeneration of the thinking processes, regression in social development and a decline in self-esteem, high social anxiety and aggression.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), associate professor Selim Günüç of İzmir Bakırçay University said there are various types of technology addiction including digital games, online betting, the internet, smartphones, social media, and online shopping.

According to Gününç, the different types of categories mean that their target groups changes. "In the last decade, the age of technology addiction declined from 12 to 6. It is worrisome that the negative effects of technology can be even seen in year-old babies," he added.

However, technology is everywhere and at some point, there is no escape from it. Gününç said the responsibility falls on the shoulders of parents. "It is important to keep children away from these addictive technologies until children are at least 2 or 3 years old. Because recent studies show that babies under 3 years old are negatively affected by technology. In the next phases of their lives the addiction can come out even if it is treated when they are still children," said Gününç.

Associate professor Necmi Eşgi of Gaziosmanpaşa University, on the other hand, said that technology addiction in children starts before the children are even a year old. "It is easy to see children watching cartoons on a tablet computer while eating. When they start school, the addiction manifests itself as an addiction to video games and smartphones," he added.

Below Given Are 5 Strategies for Getting Kids off Devices  

1.  Try a timer for kids who don't yet know how to tell time. This can help put them in charge of the process: "When the time is up, it'll look and sound like this."

2.  Tell your kid what’s coming next. For the youngest device users, transitions are hard.  Even if the next "to do" is a "must do" (such as eating lunch), tell your kid what's the next thing to do. You can rehearse the process: "When I say stop, it's time for the iPad to go night-night. Let's see how fast you can flip it shut! As soon as it's asleep, we can sneak into the other room and paint."

3.  Find apps with built-in timers. Many video streamers throw parents a bone and have internal timers so the app stops on its own. Then it's up to the parent to make it certain that the kid doesn't just jump into some other app.

4.  Instruct kids to stop at a natural break. Similar to adults, it is difficult for kids to stop in the middle of something. Before your kid gets on a device, talk about what they want to do or play, what will be a good place to stop, and how much time they think it'll take. Set the limit together and hold on to it.

5. Discuss consequences. When everything else goes wrong, it's important to talk about consequences when your kid won't give it up.

By Sowmya Sangam