Is 'made for kids' digital content good for your child?

In the digital era, it is nearly impossible to keep kids away from the screen. However, the content which they consume is a bigger thing to worry about.

Talking about the second most-watched Youtube channel with a whopping 130 billion-plus views and one of the most popular shows among toddlers “Cocomelon”, many parents believe that their kids are being hypnotized while watching the content.

While talking to ARY, Noor Nabeel, a mother of two said, “Cocomelon’s rhyme is very different from others, the characters, the animation is so vibrant and captivating”.

A USA based child development specialist Jerrica Sannes, claimed that the show (Cocomelon) is ‘hyper-stimulating’ its young viewers.

“Cocomelon is so hyper-stimulating that it acts as a drug, a stimulant,” Sannes posted on Instagram. “The brain receives a hit of dopamine from screen time, and the more they watch the show, the more the brain begins to expect this intense level of stimulation.”

 

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A Karachi based clinical psychologist Midhat Fatima came up with a solution to reduce screen time of children. She said most of the parents came to her with the same complaint that whenever they try to remove their child in front of the screen, they become so aggressive and show resistance.

“The simplest way to taper off-screen time from children is to slowly and gradually reduce it,” she said. “If you try to take away the habit immediately, the child becomes aggressive and shows resistance,” she added.

Children learn and imitate behaviours by watching and listening to others. This is sometimes called “observational learning”. Nowadays, access to smartphones for kids is not a difficult task, but the hours’ long screen time can lead to serious problems.