Screen addiction


Mak Archives, courtesy: Daily Dawn, Karachi (2012)

In one of the panel discussions held as a part of a global conference at a private degree awarding institute of Karachi, recently, the panelists explicitly highlighted the challenges of raising teens in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, suggesting for creating an accelerated awareness among parents, children and their teachers about the risk of premature or prolonged exposure of children to smartphones or tablets.

They feared that the screen addiction may lead the teenagers towards a situation which might render them socially unfit or make them undermined souls.

This was in addition to what the leading physicians have been warning about the negative health impacts of excessive use of mobile phones on humans, particularly in terms of the reported electromagnetic radiation emitting from mobile phones and related digital equipment.    

How much to use digital devices is a forewarned issue in other parts of the world as well, and people in our part of the underdeveloped world need to take the expert advice seriously for the sake of the new generation.

People and families in advanced countries have been pursuing a set of already defined precautions towards their children and manpower in the realm of internet and AI, however, we seem to have developed a sort of indulgence with digital devices.  Young generation is particularly obsessed with electronic gadgets, and in such scenario their parents or guardians need to realise the impact of overuse or addiction of digital devices and make their wards understand that crossing the threshold of precaution will create mental health issues, not letting them to grow as normal and excelling individuals.

Editorial/Social Track, Karachi.

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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