Lost Childhood: Sleep and Peace Sacrificed to Screens

It is said that a good laugh and long sleep is the best cure for most diseases. Sleep is very important for good health. But in the last few decades, an increase in sleep difficulties has been observed in children and adolescents. After the advent of the digital age, the Internet has made social media accessible to everyone. This social media may have made people social, but it cannot be denied that it has also rapidly developed mental and physical ailments in people. It can be said that this is a kind of digital addiction, which has also engulfed children and adolescents.

It is believed that childhood is an important stage of human life, where man is unaware of the sorrows, troubles, stress and struggles of the world. He enjoys every day, but does this apply to children of today's era? Probably not. Childhood is full of mischief, playfulness, fun, stubbornness and getting angry, coaxing and fighting with siblings and friends. This is the most beautiful stage of human life, in which there is neither any feeling of responsibility nor any worry, the lifestyle is only of 'eat, drink and enjoy'. But the children of today's generation did not live their childhood, their innocence changed into maturity very soon, technology and media society snatched away their childhood before age and time.

The health department of Niti Aayog recently prepared a detailed report on the sleeping habits and its effects of school-age adolescents in the age group of 12 to 18 years. The report states that one-fourth of the school children of our country are not able to get enough sleep today, which is not only harming their mental and physical health but also affecting the thinking and understanding ability of the children.

It is also a fact that the diseases which were earlier seen in old age can now be seen in adolescence and youth or even before that, such as blood pressure, sugar, asthma, heart attack, etc. According to medical research, 80 to 90 percent of diseases are caused by insomnia, stress, unbalanced diet. Therefore, every child must sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours every day, so that they maintain mental and physical balance. It cannot be denied that most diseases can be cured with adequate sleep and balanced diet.

According to neuroscientist B.S. Greenfield, direct experience, adequate sleep, interaction with the adult generation, opportunities to play and creativity are the factors that play an important role in brain development, which modern technology is destroying at a rapid pace. Nowadays, due to technology, outdoor activities have been replaced by indoor activities, which has not only affected the physical health of children but also the feeling of aggression, disappointment and frustration is increasing among children. Along with this, sociality is ending in children, the tendency of individualism is increasing in them, they are becoming escapists instead of facing challenges, they are finding it easier to end their life instead of living it.

Once logged in, they do not know when the day passed and when the night passed. Going out with a group or friends, spending time with family, reading comics, playing in the open field are now a thing of the past. Due to the changes in the education system after the information revolution, WhatsApp has now replaced the school diary. School projects have turned into online presentations or links. Social media is present to share problems or Mann Ki Baat, in such a situation it is natural for children to face mental and physical health challenges.

At the age when children are supposed to make friends, learn social values, develop physically and mentally and develop their creativity, listen to grandmother's stories and find themselves in those characters, do something for the country when they grow up, watch movies and imagine killing the villain like a hero, at that age they are becoming slaves of technology. For creativity and imagination it is necessary to be mentally healthy and for mental health it is also necessary to sleep and wake up on time, eat balanced and nutritious food, play in groups, do exercise and we have destroyed the imagination of children in childhood itself.