Children 'addicted' to phones - Part 1: Letting children use phones to 'stop being naughty'?

The situation of children using phones to watch online programs and play games is popular all over the world, many children even become "addicted" to the small screen in their hands with serious negative consequences for their psychology.

Ms. Thuy's 13-year-old son was engrossed in playing games on the tablet - Photo: THUY CHI

Many countries in Europe have issued regulations to limit children's use of mobile phones. In Vietnam, the situation of children using mobile phones too much is so complicated that it requires warning. Many parents have said that they are "helpless" in limiting their children's use of mobile phones. Is there any solution?

A normal day in the small alley 673 Provincial Road 10 (An Lac Ward, New Ho Chi Minh City). Three "obedient" children sat quietly in the corner of the rented room. The second brother, about 13 years old, was intently looking at the screen of an old tablet. Next to him, two younger sisters, about 6 or 7 years old, were eagerly looking at the screen of a phone that had also appeared smudged due to many years of use.

Parents and children, each with a phone

In the corner of the kitchen, a mother in her 40s was busy preparing lunch. She was picking up a bunch of vegetables while glancing at her phone screen, which was reviewing some Chinese movie, continuously shouting out words like "CEO", "Master", "Trash"... Meanwhile, her two little girls were engrossed in TikTok, and her second brother was absorbed in games. On a weekend morning, all four of the family were staring intently at their phone and tablet screens.

"Why don't you let the kids play some physical activities on the weekend instead of being glued to their phone screens?" Hearing our question, Ms. Le Thi Thuy seemed surprised but quickly answered: "That's why they sit still, otherwise they'll make a mess and give them a headache. Who has the energy to keep them in check?" "The second brother is already grown up, he can look after his two younger siblings." "I wouldn't dare, he's so big but he can't even look after himself" - the housewife answered the next question.

When hearing us repeat the questions about not being able to leave the phone screen, this garment worker in Tan Tao Industrial Park did not hesitate to answer: "That's because today he went out to drive a technology car, otherwise he would always be hugging four phone and tablet screens at all four corners.

"It's better that way to avoid chaos, noise, and headaches." In her family, her eldest son's tablet was given to her by a benefactor for online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The phone of her two young daughters, who are addicted to TikTok, was an old one that her mother threw away when she bought a new phone.

Ms. Thuy said that her husband also planned to change his phone, the old one he was using was sold and no one bought it, so he would probably leave it to his youngest daughter, who is 6 years old and about to enter first grade. "He will give it back to her so she can study whatever she needs to, otherwise the three of us will have our own phones so we won't fight over it or be jealous of each other" - the mother from Hong Ngu, Dong Thap , who came to the city to make a living with her husband and children, comfortably said.

When we asked her directly if she was concerned about the harmful effects of her children being glued to their phone screens too much, this mother replied: "Who knows? I've heard that it's harmful, but that's the only way to keep them sitting still. If the children go out, I'll be more tired"...

Nowadays, the image of children engrossed in their phone or tablet screens is everywhere and has become a daily occurrence, no one cares anymore or those who care "can't do anything". Perhaps the last "stronghold" to limit phones now is in public schools that prohibit students from bringing mobile phones into the school.

Outside, 1-2 year old children are also fed porridge and milk by their mothers while watching their phones. Almost everywhere, from private homes to motels, from restaurants to pubs, parks, and tourist areas, people can see images of children sitting huddled, staring at the phones in their hands. Many parents let their children use their phones, but many buy their own phones so that their children's needs do not affect their own.

The child had to watch the phone screen during the meal - Photo: THUY CHI

"It only eats if it has a phone"

When writing this article, we conducted a small survey with 50 parents with four questions: Do you let your children use a phone? Do you lend your phone to your children or buy it for them? How much time do your children use their phone on average each day? Do you care what your children watch on their phone?

Then we received the answer: 93% of parents let their children use the phone (7% of those who did not let their children use it explained that their children were too young, under 1-2 years old). Of which, 41% of parents let their children use their phone because their children were young (under 10 years old), 59% of parents let their children use their own phone from their old phone or bought a new one.

43% of parents said their children use their phones less than 3 hours a day and 57% said their children use their phones more than 3 hours a day. Among the group of parents who let their children use their phones, 33% of them cannot care about what their children watch on their phones because they are busy, 67% of parents care but more than half of them said they still cannot be sure about what their children watch...

Especially after receiving this answer, we tried to interview a few more of them and received similar answers. Ms. Nguyen Thi My (33 years old, living in Tan Nhut commune, new Ho Chi Minh City) said that her hometown is An Giang . Her husband and five-year-old daughter moved here to stay while one of them worked as a worker in an industrial park, the other was a small trader near home and looked after the child.

"I remember my son started looking at the phone when he was 7 months old when he was supplemented with formula milk. He was used to breastfeeding, but refused to drink from a bottle. We had to have a phone screen with children dancing and singing to entice him. Then, when he started eating porridge and rice, he got used to looking at the phone," said Ms. My.

Later, My and her husband also tried to find ways to reduce their child's dependence on the phone, but they failed. Without a phone, the child would keep sucking on it and not swallow it. Since the age of 4, the child had his own phone, which his father had used for two years and left to him...

Experts say that using the Internet has many positives such as open connection with the world, easy access to information, and the ability to learn many useful things. But on the other hand, it also has very serious mental and physical effects if abused too much, such as to the point of "addiction" to social networks, games, etc.

Research reports agree that the consequences are vision loss, health deterioration, joint pain, insomnia, lack of concentration in studying and working, depression, violence, difficulty in team bonding and mental illness. This problem is especially serious for young children.

By 2024, Vietnam will have 78.4 million Internet users with a penetration rate of 79.1%. Meanwhile, Vietnam currently has more than 72.2 million social network users, accounting for about 73.3% of the total population... That is the Digital Vietnam 2024 report by Datareportal.

Regarding the issue of children using phones, data from the Department of Children of the former Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shows that currently up to 89% of children access and use the Internet every day for an average of 5-7 hours.

In particular, the average age of Vietnamese children using and owning mobile phones is 9, while in the world it is 13. Thus, Vietnamese children access mobile phones 4 years earlier than children in the world.

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Limiting children's dependence on mobile phone screens is like a never-ending battle. Many parents sadly say they are helpless with their children, while they themselves are glued to their phones all day.

Next: Preventing children from watching phones, but parents can't take their eyes off them

THUY CHI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tre-em-nghien-dien-thoai-ky-1-de-tre-xai-dien-thoai-cho-do-quay-20250804101831812.htm