Frequent use of gadgets is one of the causes of children’s mental health problems – Dr Noradilah
KUALA LUMPUR: The frequency of dependence on gadgets is such that addiction is one of the main factors in children facing mental health problems today.
Director of the Wellbeing Center of the Student Affairs and Alumni Affairs Department ( SAffAD ), Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Dr Noradilah Md Nordin informed that this issue needs to be taken seriously by all parties, especially parents including the school.
“If the child regularly uses gadgets for a long period of time, it can cause addiction problems and then lead to the real cause of mental health problems.
“This is due to the immaturity of the use of social media which should be monitored by parents. For example they don’t know what can, what can’t be shared on Instagram or TikTok. It will end with a depression problem when receiving great criticism from netizens,” she said .
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Dr Noradilah also gave an example if the child is faced with the problem of obesity and uploads a picture on social media, he faces the possibility of receiving inappropriate criticism or criticism from other users.
“Imagine our child is faced with being overweight, and the picture invites negative comments. She will feel stressed, depressed, and that is the real reason why children are now exposed to mental health issues, which is addiction to using gadgets,” he said.
In the meantime, the stress, anxiety and depression screening test (DASS) is one of the initial steps that can be taken to identify mental health problems among students at school.
“Whether they are at a low, medium or high level, if a student is identified as having a high level of mental health, then the student needs to undergo a counseling session with a guidance teacher to detect symptoms early,” she added.
