#HEALTH: Excessive screen time causes "popcorn brain"

The digital age, while offering great advantages, also presents risks that young people may struggle to navigate without proper guidance. To address these concerns, Australia implemented a restriction on under-16 social media accounts in December of the previous year, while Malaysia initiated similar measures in June of this year. The severity of the issue is significant: in Australia alone, approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to minors were restricted or removed following the new regulations.

This regulatory action is a reflection of the escalating worries surrounding cyberbullying, harmful content, overexposure to screens, peer pressure, and the addictive nature of algorithm-driven platforms. Psychiatrist and assistant professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia's department of psychiatry, Dr. Hijaz Ridzwan, highlights that children under 16 are still in the midst of crucial emotional development and are more susceptible to impulsive decisions, peer influence, and social pressures.

The problem doesn't begin with children gaining access to social media; it begins much earlier, when parents provide smartphones or tablets to keep their children occupied during various activities such as meals, restaurant visits, car rides, or at home.

Dr. Ridzwan emphasizes that children learn essential real-world social norms and behaviors from their parents, such as communication, respect, and understanding others, through observation and face-to-face interactions rather than through screens. The term "popcorn brain" has emerged to describe the effects of constant exposure to rapid digital stimulation, albeit not a recognized medical condition; the underlying concern is genuine.

Excessive screen use can disrupt sleep patterns, physical activity, and meaningful human connections, potentially impacting a child's concentration, communication skills, emotional regulation, and problem-solving abilities. While it's not necessarily that smartphones automatically cause permanent brain damage, it's the case that too much screen time, particularly during the formative years, can deprive children of real-world experiences critical to their development.

Education policies are increasingly acknowledging these concerns. Finland has taken steps to limit mobile phone usage in schools and has encouraged the adoption of traditional learning methods. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization reported in March that 114 education systems, representing 58% of countries, have implemented national policies banning mobile phones in schools.

Dr. Ridzwan stresses that technology should be a tool to support learning, not a constant source of distraction. There is a darker aspect to children's online exposure as well. A United Nations Children's Fund study involving approximately 21,000 children aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries found that around 20 million Internet-using children experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse in one year.

Of these, about 15 million encountered unwanted sexual content, while 9 million were coerced into sexual conversations or image sharing. Around 4 million had explicit images shared without their consent, and an estimated 1.1 million children were affected by AI-generated sexual imagery. These statistics underscore that protecting children online is not just about preventing them from wasting time; it's also about safeguarding them from genuine physical, psychological, and social dangers.

Children indeed need technology, but they also require books, outdoor play, conversation, imagination, and periods of boredom. They need to learn how to wait, communicate, concentrate, and solve problems without immediately resorting to a screen. Providing a child with a smartphone may grant parents some temporary peace, but childhood should not merely consist of keeping children quiet and entertained.

The greatest danger is not that our children will lack knowledge about technology, but that they may know too much about screens and too little about the real world.