Digital device usage impacts child development and eye health

The increasing use of digital devices in modern education and daily life has raised concerns regarding child development and physical health. From a psychological perspective, parental concerns regarding excessive screen time in schools may serve as advocacy for a child's developmental needs. Experts suggest that children require diverse experiences—such as social interaction, physical movement, and direct environmental exploration—to support healthy brain development, which cannot be fully replaced by digital learning.

Regarding physical health, prolonged digital device usage poses risks to vision, including eye strain, dryness, and decreased visual acuity. To mitigate these effects, health experts recommend the ‘20-20-20 rule’: every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Other preventative measures include maintaining an ideal viewing distance of 40 to 50 centimeters, optimizing room lighting to reduce screen contrast, using blue light filters, and consciously blinking more frequently to prevent dry eye syndrome.