The Influence of Smartphones on Children's Brain Development

Abstract

Using a cell phone has become a necessity for most people, however, when children use it unsupervised by adults it can seriously affect their cognitive and brain development. The objective of the research was to analyze the influence of smartphones on children's brain development. The mixed approach, non-experimental design of descriptive level, was used through a survey structured in 24 questions on the use and control of the cell phone to infants, carried out to a sample of 41 parents of the Federico González Suárez Educational Unit in the city of Santo Domingo, Ecuador; The documentary review of scientific articles and postgraduate theses was applied to substantiate the consequences of electronic devices on the brain plasticity of children. As results, 64% of children use the telephone from the age of 9, on a regular basis, more than one hour a day and outside the school environment; parents observed risks of family and social isolation, poor school performance, access to inappropriate content, addition and change in family relationships in an average of 24%; Documented evidence shows severe consequences on brain plasticity with minors addicted to the internet similar to those who use drugs, decreased head circumference, atrophy or loss of gray matter volume, frontal lobe involvement that governs executive functions of doing things, insula damage , fundamental in feelings for others. It concludes in raising awareness from the home, from the role they have as parents, caregivers or responsible for children, to manage the proper use of mobile phones or other electromagnetic devices, avoiding damage that can be irreversible if measures are not taken now.