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Powerful wake-up call for smartphone addicts in Dubai

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Dubai: An alarming trend highlighted through a sneak-peek screening of a tough-to-watch documentary in Dubai washing programme-making its UAE premiere on Wednesday evening -- excessive use of the smartphone by kids.


The nine-hour film “Don’t Look Down” was a hard-hitting reflection of a pressing issue—Smartphone addiction—with the longest national running time of its kind in the region’s history.


Communications network MullenLowe MENA, headed by Chief Creative Officer Paul Banham and Creative Director Thomas Young, worked with a secure phone storage service called Fixby to create the offering, which aims to minimize mobile distractions, and Dr. Alison Burrows, a screen time expert, professor and parent coach to develop the film concept.


Scrolling their lives away


Thousands of youngsters scroll away their life on their smartphones all day. Young said that Don’t Look Down is a wake-up call for parents, educators and the community to step up before it is too late.


A revealing study has just been released by Dr. Burrows, who says, "Social media addiction among children is a worldwide epidemic and very much an UAE concern. With schools, parents and the wider community not providing adequate supervision, children are more exposed to screens and online platforms than ever before and this could have dire consequences.


Addiction to social media can interfere with social development and self-control and it can cut down on physical activity and sleep. Moreover, this can cause some major mental health problems like anxiety depression, self-harming, and sleeping problems. Although social media has its own educational advantages of using this platform for creativity and communication, it creates an implicit compulsiveness which through unlimited use adversely impacts overall development of a child."


Reasons behind excessive use


Dr Burrows said that "these highly sophisticated algorithms have been designed to keep us — and children — glued to our screens for the longest time possible". Well, the answer is quite simple: 


The methods they employ to keep children addicted are using things like infinite scrolling and auto-play,' she said. Users of social media platforms consume a constant feed of content. This makes it impossible for children to walk away — there is always a new video to watch, new status to Like, new photograph to comment on.'


She said: "This plays to the brain's innate craving for instant pleasure, and with fresh content constantly being fed to children, it activates their dopamine receptors and keeps them engaged. Those constant flicks of dopamine disrupt proper brain development, which will lead to harm in the future. The more data you have on a kid, the more time you keep them scrolling and watching — and each view, each click, each second reveals something about what they like. This data can then be utilized to further personalize recommendations to deepen engagement. It’s a terrible loop.”


Real dangers


The risks of social media addiction are very real Dr Burrows said. You can develop body image issues, feelings of inadequacy, and anxiety due to the constant comparison with others on social media. Research has linked excessive use of social media with depression, anxiety, self-harm and extreme dieting in teens, especially girls.


Screen time contributes to poor-quality sleep, and in many instances, excessive screen time before bed also decreases the duration that the child sleeps, both of which are critical to child development.” Numerous cases have surfaced that describe how a child’s grades have slipped or their behavior has taken a turn for the worse because they were unable to rest properly from being on social media until the late hours. "


And: “We know that social media is a hotbed for cyberbullying which can have real and long-lasting impacts on children's mental health. Bringing to a self-harm end or taking the life of some people in some unfortunate cases. Ironically, spend too much time on social media and it takes away from face-to-face interactions, resulting in loneliness and underdeveloped social skills. Studies show that time and time again.


Creating a balance


Daniel Herbert, Managing Director of Fixby, who has been distributing “phone pouches” to students at a number of schools throughout the UAE, added: “As educators and parents, collectively we have all witnessed the increasing vilification of mobile phones in schools. They are great tools, but they also cause chaos in the school day, operating as distractions to focus, learning, social interactions, and taking away from any time for kids to just be kids.


"Phone pouches in the UAE came as a convenient solution that aims at not just prohibiting the use of phones, but managing that ban, so that students are still engaged with their phones, but teachers also have complete control over their classrooms," she said.


In his mind, "It is about compromise—allowing students to have their phones on them, but physically and mentally out of sight until the end of the day. It has been really rewarding to see how positively this has impacted environments of learning.


How do phone pouches help?


Phone pouches are intended for schools since they are a quick and safe storage alternative. Students slide their phones inside a padded fabric pouch and lock them with the push of a button. Once the device is placed in here, it is magnetically locked into place, and cannot be removed until it is unlocked at a specific unlocking station. Herbert said: "This simple yet effective approach helps to ensure that phones are not distracting during lessons and ultimately supports an engaged classroom of students."


He said studies have found that it takes up to 20 minutes for a student to regain attention following an alert or vibration from their phone, a considerable part of a 40-minute lesson. “Benefits extend beyond academic concentration. He said teachers are finding classroom management to be easier while parents enjoy that their children can spend time focusing on connection and hands-on learning.


What can parents do?


Dr Alison Burrows: parent coach & screen time consultant – offers parents a ‘4M Framework for Screen Time’:


• Setting an example — Kids imitate people — such as adults. Kids are likely to do the same if parents set a good example with screen time and engaging in pursuits away from the screens.


Monitor — Parents need to monitor their children on the Internet and make sure they are not doing negative stuff like practicing cyberbullying or viewing.


• Moderate- Parents should moderate their child on screen time by staying firm with the rules, placing tech-free zones, utilizing parental control tools, and inspiring offline activities such as sports or a hobby. Being honest about why those limits exist, modelling healthy behaviours, and providing incentives for responsible use can also help in building better digital habits.


• Role modelling - Teaching children how to behave with tech also fits within the remit of mentoring; children need guidance from adults to help them use tech responsibly, choose healthy content, maintain a healthy balance and to learn about the negative outcomes of excessive screen time on their health and developing minds.

One thing parents can do is provide support through open communication along with explorations of the benefits and the risks of these digital tools to help children develop an appropriate relationship with technology.


Time to unplug — See how Dubai is responding to smartphone overuse with a jarring nudge. Subscribe to Just Dubai to stay updated!

By: admin

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