‘Save younger generation from Digital Addiction’
Srinagar, Feb 1: The Managing Committee of Amar Singh Club, Srinagar held the second interaction of its programme ‘Common Interest Conversations’ on the topic of Digital Addiction: An Invisible Pandemic.
The interaction was chaired by eminent neurologists Dr Sushil Razdan and presided over by Senior Advocate Zaffar Shah. The panel included Dr Kaisar Ahmed, former Principal & Head of Paediatrics, GMC, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah – Pulmonologist, Dr Majid Shafi, Incharge Mental Health & Addiction Treatment Programme, Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Najeeb Drabu – Orthopaedics, Dr Khursheed Ahmed – Opthomology, Dr Tariq Trumboo – Interventional Pain Physician, Dr Javid Iqbal, Dr Musharaf, Mr G N War – Education, Sardar Nasir Ali Khan, Tahir Peerzada and Managing Committee members Mr Rauf Ahmed Punjabi, Er M S Sethi and Parvez Fazili.
Nasir Hamid Khan, Club Secretary welcomed the participants and thanked Dr Sushil Razdan for taking the time to participate in the interaction. Appreciating the role of the Razdan family, he informed the audience that Dr Sushil’s father Late Sat Lal Razdan, affectionately called ‘Masterji’ was an teacher who had influenced many generations of the Kashmiri society through his love and guidance.
“It is commendable that Dr Sushil had carried on Masterji’s legacy and continuously worked towards strengthening the bonds of love and respect for Kashmir’s people. He stated that we owed the accomplished Razdan family a lot,” Khan said.
Zaffar Shah in his opening remarks stated that the considerable presence of learned personalities in this interaction itself indicated the importance of the subject. “Dr Sushil was an icon in neuroscience like his father was in the field of education,” Shah said. Setting the tone for the interaction, he said that two things need to be discussed – Whether digital technology was or wasn’t a problem? “And if it was a problem, if it had a negative effect then what is the solution? Whether addressing this problem would require the cooperation of the parents, the society or the Government. One could see many merits but then it has also over the years become an issue of dependence for our children as most of the time we find that most of the time they spend is on watching too many things on these screens and what it’s effect is, is an issue we feel needs to be considered by the society,” Shah said.
Shah said that apart from the physical conditions that arise due to the excessive use of mobile devices, “my concern is what impact does this have on the mind of the child.” “Does it corrupt him in any manner when he has access to unlimited and unending good and bad data. Does it corrupt his value system vis-à-vis the society to which he belongs at a vulnerable stage of his growth,” Shah said.
Shah said it is a matter of observation that when you walk or drive down in Srinagar, out of 10 boys or girls, 6 or 7 are using it while they are walking also. “This was a man-made problem and not something divine that cannot be controlled or managed,” Shah added.
Dr Sushil Razdan stated that over the century’s new technology like cars, aeroplanes, radio etc have come which were game-changers but they never changed lives. “Over the past few decades, digital technology has changed lives. Earlier, we used to use the technologies but today we are not using digital technology, instead digital technology is using us. It is not a routine thing that has happened. He informed the participants that children born or brought up during the age of digital technology are called ‘Digital Natives’ while his own generation were ‘Digital Immigrants’. It has been established that minds and behaviour of these children was entirely different,” he said.
Razdan stated that these children are withdrawn, suffer from autism and attention disorders, prefer to use digital devices instead of playing, connect with friends through digital devices. “Consequently they face an entirely different set of problems at the cost of their mental, physical and educational growth.”
“Overuse mostly led to the children getting addicted. It had been scientifically established through MRI’s and other tests that there was erratic growth of their brains which was an abnormality resulting in weakening of their memory, learning, problem solving processes due to which they cannot face life challenges as earlier generations would. With regard to the overuse of digital devices by elderly people,” Razdan said.
“It resulted in physical and psychological ailments like headaches and neck pain, sleep patterns get disrupted, anxiety disorders, sadness, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, reduction of social interactions, increased aggressive behaviour,” he said. He urged that till they attain the age of 5 years, digital devices should be kept away from children, after which proper rationing of digital use for age appropriate time usage under family supervision. He said it was very important to monitor the content being watched by children in their formative years. “It was important to engage their minds by encouraging them to learn outdoor activities like cycling, swimming, exercising, sports like football and cricket and other hobbies which require focus and attention,” he said.
He said that alternate outdoor and sports facilities needed to be provided in all areas for them. Families and social groups needed to make it a habit for them to get out of their rooms. Commending the family and social structure of Kashmiri society, Dr Razdan shared that in Jammu he often gets patients from Delhi and other places who are forced to come alone.
“But when a Kashmiri patient visits him they are accompanied by a platoon of family members and friends which indicated the depth of Kashmiri social fabric. This was something to be preserved and cherished,” he said.
Dr Razdan stated that all levels of social support systems starting the family, care-givers, relatives and the community needed to come together to control this problem as it had become a menace, a pandemic now. He also appreciated the management of Amar Singh Club for organising the manner in which the event was organised. He stated that although we were all individually aware of the problem of digital addiction, it was the first time that he had witnessed an event where the issue was meaningfully discussed on a social level.
Dr Kaisar Ahmad stated that the problem was quite serious in the age group of 0-18 years of age, which is a vulnerable age. He stated that we witness toddlers of 4-6 months trying to concentrate on their phones due to which we see that their minds are directly affected. We see that they have started losing direct eye-to-eye contact, and in some cases their minds construe the digital device to be their parents.
He stated that there was a sharp increase in cases of vision and hearing impairments, obesity, hyperactivity, children showing more aggressive behaviour and higher frequency of depression and anxiety, greatly reduced social skills and relationships and a visible impact on their attention, memory.
“These kids struggle in problem-solving skills and many other conditions which are directly attributable to use and abuse of digital devices. He stated that it was vitally important for parents to understand the ruining effects of giving digital screens to their children and to take preventive measures to protect their children. He said that the proper development of brains during the formative years of children required constant mental engagements which was achievable only by challenging mental activities which required attention and focus complemented with team sports and physical activities. Elaborating, he stated that five critical fundamentals of healthy personality development were mental, social, spiritual, physical and emotional, and parents today were required to address all of these fundamental blocks in help their children grow into healthy individuals. He said that although managing this addiction may appear to be a daunting task but it was important for family and the community not to adopt a defeatist attitude as it would result in obliteration of society as we know it today.
He also stressed upon the need for reforms in the education sector like the use of internet services for only essential academic purposes, ban on use of mobile phones in schools, provision of counselling services, providing of alternate avenues and infrastructure for enhancing mental and physical activities, Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities to be enhanced regarding Digital Addiction with active participation of staff, students and administration with regular sessions as Inter-School Events with parents also involved.
Dr Naveed Nazir Shah stated that the problem was manifest in today’s time and not only for children but adults and elders as well and it was the need of the hour to address this issue. He stated that a sedentary life style attributable to use of digital devices resulted in the weakening of the body leading to an escalation of various disorders amongst the population. He said that in addition to practicing self-restraint, parents and guardians should actively monitor and manage the screen time and content their children consume. This cannot be achieved solely through parental control apps but requires consistent supervision and open communication about healthy digital habits. Rasing awareness about the risks of digital addiction and advocating for a balanced lifestyle is the need of the hour for a healthier, more connected society – both online and offline.
Dr Majid Shafi said that there was a direct co-relation between reduced quality and time of sleep and common mental conditions including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic and psycho-somatic disorders, which are directly linked to use of smartphones and screens which disrupt the sleep cycles. He said that aggression and violent criminal behaviour by juveniles and young adults had been associated with pornographic addiction.
There is need for interventions including medical guidelines for children and adults about healthy use of all digital media. He stressed upon legislation for paediatric age group to ensure that digital screens are not provided to young children up to a certain age and after that a staggered and supervised gradual exposure is recommended. He gave the example of Australia which had already banned social media for children until they are 16 years old. He said that there was need for guidelines for use of digital technology as we cannot allow it to go unregulated. He stressed upon the need of nurturing children in a proper environment with their parents around and present.
Dr Tariq Trumboo shared his clinical experience and said that a lot of musco-skeletal cases in younger people are popping up, especially neck pain. He informed the participants that when we flex our neck to look at our smartphone, a sixty degree flexion of the neck puts a load equivalent to 27 kgs on your neck which takes a toll on your facet joints gradually leading to arthritis of the joints resulting in degeneration of the facet joints which in most cases is an irreversible condition which can be treated but not cured or reversed. He said that students and users of digital devices needed to be educated about the proper posture for using devices
Dr Najeeb Drabu stated that there was an upsurge in patients having wrist nerve entrapment, neck and spinal issues as a result of excessive use of smartphones and digital technology. He said he himself had felt the effects of digital use due to which his attention span was reduced and the focus required for reading a book today is a problem.
Dr Khursheed Ahmed said that smartphones dependency is increasing with each passing day and now they are not only devices for communicating with each other but have turned into a social supplement device. He said that our eyes are the first organs to be affected by this. He said that what he is witnessing in his clinical practice is that a large number of small children are coming forward with symptoms of digital eye strain, computer vision syndrome, myopia and retinal damage which include dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, eye fatigue, neck or shoulder pain, light sensitivity, frequent blinking and refractive errors which is very alarming. He stated that it is not only children or young adults, the elderly aged generation is also facing similar issues especially the acceleration of age related macular degeneration which affects the central portion of our eyes resulting in reduction of vision even leading to blindness. These conditions are due to staring at screens for long periods, improper viewing distances, poor lighting conditions and prolonged exposure to blue light. Amongst the remedial advice he gave was limiting screen time to a maximum of two hours, use of blue light blocking spectacle lenses, using lubricating eye-drops and following the 20-20-20 rule ( taking a break every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and looking at objects 20 feet away).
Dr Javed Iqbal said that what is are facing is a matter of mass psychology on a global scale and needed to be addressed accordingly. He said that there were sweeping changes in the familial behaviour structures where today very few families eat their meals together. Those who do, tend to have their minds plugged into digital devices and noses glued to their screens. We don’t have time for our children and children don’t have time for us now. He said that doesn’t mean that nothing is to be done and if something has to be done, it has to be on a total societal effort on a very wide scale. He said that for spreading the awareness about the ill-effects of digital devices, the most effective means would be digital only.
Rauf Ahmed Punjabi stated that it was important to differentiate between the use and misuse of digital devices. He said the awareness and self-binding methods are effective in reducing the use of digital devices. He said that after having participated in the previous session of ‘Common Interest Conversations’ where he was made aware of the harmful effects, he himself realised that he was misusing the technology. He stated that he had reduced the use to a bare minimum and our efforts should be aimed at limiting the time we spend online.
G N War stated that the biggest problem he saw was that all our teaching/learning process today is ninety percent online. Citing a recent research done by the Government of India, he said that learning levels have gone down considerably. If we talk of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a ten percent decrease in literacy rates. It indicates that digital platforms have had a very bad affect on the learning process. He urged that like in many advanced countries like Singapore, we too should have public policy changes and provide big screens to schools and educational centres for classrooms.
Sardar Nasir Ali Khan stated that parents need to take the responsibility for monitoring what the children are watching. He said that today all smartphones come with parental controls and app controls which help a lot to monitor the type of content and amount of screen time. He supported the banning of social media for kids as has been done in Australia.
Dr Musharaf said that parents show a tendency to hand over mobile devices to their children to keep them from getting restive which is fuelling this addiction. She said that family time in homes is overtaken by digital devices where parents, who are role models for children tend to be continuously using their devices. She also expressed concern over the growing number of cyber-scam and online gambling related incidents in Kashmir where usually the elderly or innocent are targeted. She said that family, schools, society and the Government needs to come together to tackle this problem.
Nasir Hamid Khan stated that Digital Addiction is an umbrella term that refers to the compulsive need to spend a great deal of time on the internet, to the point where relationships, work and health are allowed to suffer. Creativity, meaning and purpose are snared out of the minds of the user.
“We are still far from fully comprehending the extent and scale of the devastation that is being caused as we look for a sustainable path towards reducing digital overstimulation. Digital drugs like social media, gaming, porn, online gambling, online dating apps have been shown to light up the same reward pathway as traditional drugs like cocaine or heroin. Thus, the hunt for pleasure is something we indulge in not to feel happy but actually not to feel sad,” he said.
“The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle to which we turn for quick digital hits, seeking attention, validation and distraction. The main impediment in treating digital addiction is that the user is unaware about being afflicted with this disease. The support of family and community plays a critical role but the problem here is that the family and community may itself be afflicted. Experts warn that we need to stop hunting for pleasure all the time and this hunting needs to be replaced by what they term as “painful pursuits’ like exercise, fasting, prayers, meditation and other mind engaging activities. When we say fasting, it also refers to Dopamine or Digital Fasting,” Khan added.
Khan further said that the inputs, suggestions and thoughts expressed in the event would be processed to formulate necessary interventions and guidelines required at various levels starting from the student, family, community and Government with regard to the use of digital devices to be discussed in the next session of ‘Common Interest Conversations’.