Life has changed a lot in recent years and new technologies, such as mobile phones, are part of everyday life. In many cases they are overused and they even create addiction.
The term phubbing has become popular in recent years in society. It is nothing more than ignoring anyone in front of us and paying more attention to the mobile screen.
What is phubbing
The word comes from the United Kingdom and arises from joining two words such as puts and snubbing (ignore). It is increasingly common to see children, adolescents and adults sitting next to other people, and ignoring them because of their own mobile. Being aware of the different social networks at all times causes other actions to be neglected, such as chatting and talking with other people.
Phubbing in children and adolescents
It is quite normal to see children and adolescents totally absorbed in front of the screen of the y completely avoiding their surroundings. Not only do they ignore their family but they also completely ignore their own friends. Children and adolescents barely interact and prefer to spend hours and hours in front of a mobile screen. This is much more serious than it may seem at first and is that in the medium term it can cause significant mental disorders.
Social relationships are essential between people and they cannot be replaced by a conversation on WhatsApp. Over time, this addiction will cause a delay in social and affective development in children and adolescents.
Consequences of phubbing
The issue of phubbing is a serious enough problem to take into account, why parents should take action on the matter and prevent your child from escaping from the real world as a result of his own mobile.
There are a series of consequences caused by the aforementioned phubbing:
- Generates addiction.
- By not establishing social relationships, the child withdraws more into his world and becomes more shy.
- There is poor performance in school.
- Increase in certain mental problems such as anxiety or depression.
- Neglecting direct communication even with one's own family.
Given this, it is essential to sit with the children and tell them about the dangers that excessive use of the mobile phone can cause. It is important to ensure that children can talk calmly about their feelings and emotions. Experts advise that children leave the mobile phone part of the time and dedicate it to doing different activities outdoors.
How to avoid phubbing
There are a series of guidelines and tips to follow that can help your child not depend excessively on the mobile. Remember that it is important to talk with your child and try to strengthen the bond between the two:
- There are times to spend as a family so it is good that during them, the child leaves the mobile in another room or off.
- Parents should be in charge at all times of setting the time that must be in front of the mobile.
- Do not leave your mobile on the table while eating or having dinner.
- During school work, the child should not have his mobile in his room.
- In the case of staying with family or friends, the child should not be allowed to have the mobile.
- When going to bed it is important to turn off the mobile and do not use it until the next morning.
Ultimately, phubbing is a pretty serious topic that parents should avoid. The child cannot be allowed to be in front of the smartphone screen at all times. Face-to-face communication must be encouraged at all times and established social relationships.