There’s much debate about the cause(s) behind the epidemic rise of Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children. Some say it’s genetic. Others say it’s caused by video games or poor nutrition or pre-natal stress or vaccines or vaccination schedules.
In reality, it is all of those things and more.
At Brain Balance we’re not so much concerned with the diagnostic label as we are with figuring out exactly what’s not working right and fixing it. One factor that we feel plays a very large and ever increasing role is the amount of time the average child spends using electronic media [and therefore not playing outside which fosters much more brain development] — this includes: TV, video games, computers, iPads and smart phones. Many of these devices connect us to the internet and “Internet Addiction”, which is defined as five or more hours per day, is becoming a big problem for adults and children alike.
In a recent cover story titled iCrazy, Newsweek Magazine chronicled how Internet Addiction is rewiring our brains leading to ADHD, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and even psychosis. The average American spends at least 8 hours a day in front of screens while the average teen spends 11 hours per day if you include school and all other devices. For example, the average teen sends over 100 text messages per day. And to think that none of this existed one generation ago.
In one study Internet Addicts had a 10-20% shrinkage in gray matter in the area of the brain responsible for processing speech, memory, emotion, motor control, and other sensory information. It found that the more time spent online, the more the brain showed signs of “atrophy.”
A parent recently asked us if screen time is more harmful to children than to adults? Our answer is “YES”. You see adults today did not grow up using computers and surfing the internet — their brains were pretty much fully developed when these technologies came along. Young children on the other hand are much more susceptible as their brains are still developing and are therefore more easily imbalanced.
And BTW, we see way too many parents using electronic gizmos as pacifier’s for their young children. If you’re one of them — please stop. This is why at Brain Balance we recommend no more than of 1 hour per day of screen time [combined] for all forms of electronic screen media.
Change Your Child’s Developmental Trajectory — call the Brain Balance Achievement Center of Richmond today to schedule an assessment for your child. 804-977-2747.
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