INFLUENCE OF THE USE OF SCREENS ON CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT: A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Abstract

Excessive use of screens has become a serious problem resulting from contemporary times, when smartphones have become part of everyday life for all generations. Therefore, it is clear that children, especially those in early childhood, are extremely fragile users as they are going through a phase of physical and cognitive development that is very delicate for their formation as a human being. This work aims to describe the harm that excessive screen time causes in the lives of infants who are exposed in an uncontrolled manner to the use of electronic devices, in addition to highlighting the importance that loved ones have in controlling this reality experienced by many Brazilian families. This study is of the bibliographic review type of literature in the databases Google Scholar, World Health Organization and Brazilian Society of Pediatrics. After applying the eligibility criteria, 28 articles and 1 book were selected to compose the review. The results showed that the main consequences for the development of children due to the excessive use of electronic devices were: anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, hyperactivity, changes in neuronal connections and brain neurodegeneration, irritability, dysregulation of sleep quality, instability mood, social isolation, behavioral changes. It was concluded that children are already suffering from these repercussions, since their physical and cognitive capabilities are considerably altered due to the excess of screens, resulting in the need to organize coping strategies at family, school and population levels that raise awareness society about this problem and change this reality.