Psychologists Say – Addiction To Screen Is Making Children Stubborn Post-Covid-19, there has been an increase in child suicide rates or an increase in mental health problems. Why did the rate of suicide increase in children after covid or did their mental health problems appear? Medical psychologist Dr. about the role of parents in this. Conversation with Vijay Gyawali:
Is parenting good for children? Or how is our upbringing style?
Our parenting style is wrong. The style of raising our children is going wrong. Due to our wrong parenting, children are suffering from mental health problems after the coronavirus epidemic.
Their screen time increased. We always leave them on the screen. We did not talk. Understanding children’s emotional balance is through dialogue with them. Communication with children is very important. We have only one way to communicate with them. We say read, do homework, Nani or Babu. We did not listen to them.
What problems does this cause?
“Instant gratitude” makes the child aggressive. And it can lead to suicide. Although the process of suicide is long, one of the main reasons for it is that the child cannot be satisfied at the time he wants.
In other words, there has been an increase in cases of impulsive suicides due to not being satisfied in time. According to my research, the current problem is that screens are the main reason for increasing suicide rates among children.
We did not care about the mental health problems of children. We did not remember that children have depression and anxiety. We don’t think of children who bite their nails, who have tantrums, who jump on the couch as being emotionally unbalanced.
Can it be said that due to COVID-19, children are trapped in this kind of addiction?
It can be said. Because of Corona, the time spent by parents with children has increased. But the quality time did not increase. As we parents are at home with children. While the children are watching TV, we are lost in our mobile phones. After that, there was no quality time to spend with the children.
Therefore, there are weaknesses in our parenting. It was not just that I was giving time to the children. Communication with them is decreasing. Children are forced to communicate with the characters they watch on television mobile, or laptop. They seem to talk, walk, and act like the characters they are watching. So the time we gave was not quality. Due to this, they spent more time on the screen. ‘Instant Gratitude’ was addictive.
What is the relationship of children with their parents?
Now the relationship between children and parents is only for satisfaction. It fulfills my needs rather than why my parents are there. For example, they buy good mobiles, toys, and sweet chocolates. It is developing recently that parents are only there to fulfill their needs.
Due to the lack of communication, the traditional relationship between parents and children has changed. The relationship is weakening. They do not share what they feel with each other. The emotional and emotional relationship between each other is disappearing.
Is it developing because of parents?
yes Because we have not tried to communicate with children and understand their problems. Parents are parents and friends of children. You have to play with him. But because the parents do not play with them, and do not help them, this understanding is developing in the children. The parents also spent the last time on the screen under the pretext of work or under various pretexts. Another screen was given to his children while he was working. Even if you watch entertainment, you don’t watch it with your children. There was no communication with the children who could not be close to the children.
What symptoms are seen in children between anxiety and depression?
Depressed children show signs of crying, not wanting to play outside, not socializing with friends, and being lonely. Children with anxiety are more restless. The behavior of fussing, shouting loudly, doing something wrong, doing the opposite, and seeking attention is seen.
In simple language, depressed children are inactive, and anxious children are disorderly. That is the behavior done when their emotions are not balanced. They do not know how to use their energy in the right place. That’s why this problem appears.
Are the causes of anxiety and depression the same or different?
Most of the reasons are the same. Everyone has a different ability to manage emotions. Some do it by speaking, and some do it without speaking. Some people are talking unnecessarily. Those who speak less are pressing their fingers and biting their nails. In this way, the symptoms of shedding or showing may be different. But the reason is almost the same.
What kind of parenting or monitoring do children need today?
Now the parents are also worried. Our daily life is busy. Therefore, parents cannot give much time. But as much time as we give, we should try to make it quality. You should communicate with your children as much as possible. You should try to understand their problems and feelings by talking.
Because the hard work we parents do is for them. Therefore, we should pay attention to making the quality even in the little time we have. Helping them with their homework, we should make sure that the screen they use is under our supervision. We have to sit together and watch the content they watch.
Will the problem be less when the school opens physically?
It is possible. Because they mingle with friends. They play in the open and jump. Friends listen to each other. It increases the activity of children. Everything except the risk of infection has benefits for children when schools are physically open. One can expect a positive.
