What Causes Nearsightedness Among Teenagers? Is Mobile Device to Be Blamed?

‘Near-work’, and how smartphone screen time damages your eyes

Scientists are saying that by 2050, 50% of humans will be near-sighted. Though there’s no definitive cause, myopia occurs when your eye grows slightly too long. You’ll find yourself struggling to produce clear images of distant objects.

Here’s the thing: the time people spend on mobile devices is exacerbating the problem. And surprise, surprise – teenagers are some of the worst affected.

This has been particularly true in some Asian countries. In Singapore, 90% of children are leaving school with myopia. Over-usage is a problem in the West too. In Ireland, smartphones are the biggest source of internet access for kids aged 9-16. And in America, research shows that youths now spend an average of 1/3 of a day looking at screens.

earsightedness is caused by what’s called ‘near-work’. That’s pretty much anything involving reading and writing. And here’s the kicker: teenagers do most of that on screens now. They’re also spending less time outdoors. They spend most of their time focusing on the close-up and not on distance. They’ve lost the balance between the two.

How can Parents Help?

This is a complex question. Everyone knows that teenagers will do the opposite of what their parents tell them. But as myopia has been a problem since the ‘70s, there are lots of science-based solutions out there. Parents should know what causes nearsightedness and provide help accordingly.

Here are three tried-and-tested techniques to prevent nearsightedness amongst kids. Trust us; probably your teenagers won’t like these ideas at first. But hey, as a parent, you will need to eduacte them and help them get use to this.

• Monitor Screen time

Kids should spend just 20-30 minutes looking at screens at any one time. After that, encourage them to spend the next 5-10 minutes focusing on something further than a few feet away.

• Take them outside!

Teenagers spend loads of time behind closed doors and in classrooms. And since Myopia causes an inability to focus on distance, you need to make sure they spend time outside. There’s also evidence to suggest that Vitamin D helps eye development.

Want to know the best part? Time spent outside means you can get them to do something you want for once.

• Atropine eyedrops

Now for the medical tactic. These eye drops have been effective in slowing near-sightedness in Asian countries and America. Dosage should be kept low to avoid side effects. It’s important to seek out the right clinician or specialist about this.

And it gets better: there’s now a fourth option!

FamiSafe can help you limit the time your children spend on mobile devices. You’ll be able to ensure they develop a healthy digital balance. It’ll also safeguard them against all kinds of digital harm.

Features of FamiSafe

Monitor your children’s screen time

You may be wondering… just how on Earth can I keep track of what my kids are doing?! Well, with FamiSafe’s screen time feature it’s easy. It allows you to accurately see data about your children’s smartphone usage. Based on that, you can set a screen time limit that you think is reasonable for them per day. Remember, scientists recommend that children should spend no more than 2.5 hours looking at screens a day!

The Smart Schedule feature will improve your kids’ social skills

Poor sleep, falling grades and social reclusiveness are all adverse effects of smartphone over-usage. Teenagers, particularly, are at risk. The smart scheduling feature allows you to schedule usage time around specific periods of the day. You can choose when your kids CAN’T have access to their phones, like at school or bedtime. This mean that your kids will spend more time focusing on the important stuff, like family. You can also reward them with screen time once they’ve completed chores. That way, they’ll see their smartphones as a luxury item. They’ll connect more fully with the outside world.And avoid failing their math exam because of Facebook!

The app blocker will protect your kids from harmful content

It’s crazy, but kids can see anything on social media these days. And they often don’t have to look very hard to find it. You’ll be able to block access to certain apps. This isn’t just imperative if you think your child is spending too much time on Twitter. Rather, threatening apps could make your child vulnerable to some super unpleasant content. So, the app blocker will shield their eyes and point them in the way of the good stuff. This tool doesn’t allow for the blocking of individual apps for iOS devices. It groups them together in categories by age-range. But this is a plus! It means you can easily stop your 12-year-old having any access to games with 18+ ratings.

It also sends you an alert every time your child tries to access a restricted app. For iOS devices, the icon for the app will disappear on your child’s smartphone and reappear once you’ve unlocked it.

How to use FamiSafe

So how can you gain access to this amazing tool? It’s incredibly simple.

1. Firstly, you’ll need to register a FamiSafe account. You can do this via the website or app, which you can download from Google Play or the App Store. There are several subscription options, starting from just $4.99 a month. Find out more on our website.

1. Next, you’ll need to install the app on both you and your kids’ digital devices. The app will guide you through this process smoothly.

1. Finally, you’ll need to connect! You can connect up to 30 devices to your FamiSafe account with an annual subscription. They’re all accessible via your dashboard app or web portal.

Now you understand how important protecting your kids’ eyesight is. It seems like myopia in children isn’t going anywhere. Taking precautions is crucial to helping them avoid becoming impaired in later life. Maybe you thought that your kids were lost to their smartphones. Consumed by the digital age. But it doesn’t have to be that way…FamiSafe proves that there are sensible, methodical ways to protect your kids’ vision. And it limits their access to adult content that could end up harming them. Most people had a rebellious phase. But here’s the thing: your teenage kids are still interested in themselves. If they know their future health is at risk, they’ll see the light.