Patient P.D. D. A (14 years old, Phu Tho) used to spend many hours each day playing games, watching TikTok, Facebook until late at night and then sleeping during the day. Although the family initially limited the time to use the phone, due to worrying about puberty pressure on their children, control was gradually eased.
After that, she had many unusual changes such as being less talkative, losing appetite, prolonged personal hygiene, and declining academic performance. Recognizing signs of psychological instability, the family took her to the Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital for examination. Here, she was diagnosed with depressive behavioral disorder.
Another case is D. T. L (14 years old, Ninh Binh). Discovering that her child was using a phone to play games, the family discussed and agreed on playing games for about 40 minutes each day; by summer it increased to 90 minutes. "My family took my child back to the countryside, increased activities and experiences to help my child change, but the situation did not improve. After that, the family took my child to the hospital for treatment" - the patient's mother shared.
When interrogated at the hospital, the patient said that he had been under pressure about studying and turned to the phone to relieve stress.
According to CKII doctor Le Thi Phuong Thao - Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, children and adolescents coming for examination with symptoms of emotions and behavior are increasingly recorded. These manifestations often appear for a long time, but initially parents easily think that it is just a psychological change in puberty.
Only when children are clearly affected in academic results, reduced interaction with friends, teachers, even quarrels, fights, or drop out of school to spend time playing games, does the family realize the problem and take the child to the doctor. At that time, the symptoms are usually quite severe.
According to Dr. Le Thi Phuong Thao, using a phone in moderation usually does not cause much impact. The problem often appears when users lose the ability to control the duration or content used.
Excessive phone use can also reduce exercise and time spent exercising, even affecting self-care. Children who sit for a long time are at risk of problems such as back pain, neck and shoulder pain, and eye problems; in some cases, headaches may appear.
“Using the phone too much can affect the quantity and quality of sleep. It is noteworthy that when spending too much time on the phone, connection with the real environment can also be affected. Children tend to reduce communication, less talk and reduce interaction with those around them” - Specialist Level II Doctor Le Thi Phuong Thao shared.
Doctors recommend that instead of just focusing on prohibition, parents should observe changes in children's sleep, study, diet, communication, emotions and ability to control phone use time.
