IT IS a worrying that children in urban areas are increasingly becoming dependent on digital devices, posing risks to their psychosocial development. An International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh study reports alarmingly high levels of screen use among children, raising concern about sleep deprivation, obesity, headaches, eye problems and mental health issues. The study finds that children spent an average of 4.6 hours a day on smartphones, television, tablets, computers and gaming devices. Around 83 per cent exceed two hours of daily screen time, surpassing internationally recommended limits for recreational use. More than a third of the children report eye problems while 80 per cent frequently experience headaches. Children with screen exposure beyond two hours also sleep less than recommended, averaging 7.3 hours per night instead of the required 8 to 10 hours needed for healthy growth and brain development. The study further finds that about 14 per cent of the children are overweight or obese, with the rate being higher among those with excessive screen exposure. The health consequences of excessive use of digital devices among children are, therefore, not a distant risk.
The reasons for excessive screen use are not unknown. In a city with a rapidly growing population and unplanned development, there are barely any playgrounds left. The Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Shishu Park has been closed since 2019 for renovation. In 2019, a Bangladesh Institute of Planners report said that out of the 235 playgrounds in Dhaka, 193 were restricted to ordinary people and 16 public playgrounds were grabbed by influential quarters. In 2017, a Bureau of Statistics survey reported that only 2 per cent of children in Dhaka had access to playgrounds. Over three decades, Dhaka has lost around 56 per cent of its green spaces. The lack of day-care centres for working parents is also blamed for the situation as they have no support for after-school care. The women and children’s affairs ministry runs 43 day-care centres across the country. Twenty-four of them are in Dhaka. But that is far too inadequate to support working parents. Besides, in an education system encouraging learning hours beyond the classrooms for commercial interests of coaching centres, students in Dhaka rarely have time to explore physical activities.
The education, and women and children’s affairs ministries should, therefore, consider the issue of device dependency among children and take early steps before health consequences of it become a burden. The government should also immediately take steps to reopen playgrounds closed for renovation and reclaim public parks. It should consider emphasising physical and cultural activities in schools and colleges and phasing out the system that forces students to rely on private coaching centres.
