As per a recent research published in JAMA, frequent digital media use appeared to increase the risk of having symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by about 10 per cent. The risk was higher for boys than girls, and for teens who had depression or a previous history of getting into trouble.
Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, president, HCFI, said: “These can cause insomnia and fragmented sleep. Smartphone is a cause for parent-child conflict in 30 per cent of the cases. Often children get up late and end up going to school unprepared. On an average, people spend 30 to 60 minutes in the bed playing with the smart phone before sleep. A new spectrum of diseases related to use of mobile phones has also come to the notice of medical profession and it is anticipated that 10 years from now they will take an epidemic shape. Some of these are Blackberry thumb, cellphone elbow, nomophobia, and ringxiety.”
Some of the most common symptoms include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity (making decisions without thinking through the possible consequences). Some tips from HCFI are: