Using mobile devices as a way to soothe a child can have long-term negative consequences for their mental and physical development. Specialists from the Republican Center for Health Promotion point to a direct link between passive digital content consumption and delays in the development of key skills.
Disruption of neural connection formation
According to pediatric neurologist Asel Kadyrova, when a child simply watches videos or listens to sounds without an explanation of what is happening, the process of forming neural connections proceeds incorrectly. Unlike live communication, a gadget does not provide the opportunity to understand emotions or the reasons behind actions on the screen, such as why a character is crying or clapping.
"At the moment when a child's neural connections are being formed, they are already forming incorrectly. And by the age of two, parents notice that something is wrong. This child should not have had behavioral or speech disorders. But they were on the phone, and the manifestations became noticeable."
The importance of sensory experience
For a child's full development, the hierarchy of skills according to the Williams pyramid is critically important. The foundation is the development of the motor nervous system—from transitioning from a horizontal to a vertical position to the ability to move independently. This is followed by the stage of sensory saturation through the seven senses.
Instead of digital content, a child needs real experience interacting with the world: learning colors, shapes, sizes, and tastes through interaction with loved ones and tactile sensations.
