Why are children becoming addicted to digital screens?

The Olympiad movement has thrived in Bangladesh for over two decades. Starting with the Math Olympiad, the country now hosts approximately 24 to 25 specialized Olympiads. Serving as an Academic Councillor and Executive Committee Member of the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad Committee for nearly 18 years, I have had the privilege of closely observing students, parents, and educators.

While our students increasingly participate and excel in academic competitions, candid conversations with students from grades 3 to 12 reveal an alarming shift: an unprecedented obsession with smartphones and digital screens—a trend that accelerated sharply post-2016.

Children today are introduced to tablets, smartphones, and television screens practically from infancy. From education to recreation, digital media consumption has grown exponentially. While this technological leap offers undeniable convenience, it has simultaneously triggered a profound, insidious crisis.

Empirical evidence by Dr. Sudheer Kumar Muppalla (2023) demonstrates that excessive screen time inflicts severe physical and psychological damage on children, eroding the essence of natural childhood and stunting healthy physical and cognitive growth.

The Anatomy of Screen Addiction and Algorithmic Vulnerability

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s engagement with animated cartoons, mobile games, and short-form video platforms has intensified. Platforms like YouTube Shorts and TikTok bombard young minds with rapid visuals and sensory stimuli, triggering dopamine spikes in the brain that foster compulsive dependency.

This global phenomenon is starkly evident in Bangladesh. A study led by Dr. Shahria Hafiz Kakon and colleagues at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), published in the peer-reviewed JMIR Human Factors, revealed deeply concerning data.

The study found that approximately 83% of school-going children aged 6 to 14 in Dhaka spend more than two hours daily in front of screens—surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold for recreational screen time. Across 421 students evaluated across six Dhaka schools, children averaged an alarming 4.6 hours per day on screens, severely disrupting their developmental routines.

Behavioral Pathology and Physical Repercussions

Cross-sectional research by Prashant Vikariya, Rinam N. Doshi, and Amit S. Jain establishes a direct correlation between excessive screen time and behavioral disorders. Nearly one in four children experiences chronic sleep disruption, obesity, and recurrent tension headaches. Furthermore, roughly two-fifths exhibit heightened anxiety, hyperactivity (ADHD symptoms), and depressive withdrawal. The blue light emitted by screens suppresses melatonin secretion, disrupting circadian rhythms and leaving children chronically fatigued.

Fatima Meghla, Assistant Professor at Proyash Institute of Special Education and Research, observes that screen dependency has evolved into a silent epidemic affecting both neurotypical children and those with special needs. Therapists report escalating cases of "virtual autism" traits, sensory overload, and severe speech delays. Hyper-stimulating visuals diminish children's attention spans, leaving them unable to process basic classroom instruction.

The linguistic and cultural toll is equally severe. Associate Professor Saiful Islam Chowdhury of the Institute of Modern Languages, University of Chittagong, notes that digital immersion is disconnecting children from their mother tongue and active reading habits. Mechanized, fragmented online content impoverishes vocabulary and syntax development, severing young learners from cultural and literary roots.

Prof. Dr. Hakim Arif of the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Dhaka explains that virtual screens promote strictly unidirectional communication. Without spontaneous human interaction, emotional expression and authentic linguistic abilities cannot mature, leading to acute social anxiety and alienation.

Tech analyst Nurunnaby Chowdhury Hasive highlights that modern digital ecosystems are intentionally engineered to exploit immature psychology. Algorithms utilize hyper-stimulating sound and rapid visual pacing to maximize engagement, distorting neurological processing in developing brains.

The Pathway to Mitigation

Banning technology altogether is neither practical nor productive; rather, the objective must be structured digital discipline and proactive parenting. Prof. Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director of icddr,b, emphasizes replacing idle screen hours with outdoor sports, debate, peer reading clubs, and hands-on social engagements. To safeguard ocular health, adhering to the '20-20-20' guideline (taking a 20-second break to view an object 20 feet away every 20 minutes) is vital.

From an academic lens, childhood screen addiction is no longer merely a domestic parenting dilemma—it is a full-blown national public health emergency. Safeguarding the mental and physical well-being of the next generation demands systemic accountability uniting families, schools, and regulatory policymakers. We owe our children an active, imaginative, and uncompromised childhood.

Author: Senior Lecturer, Northern University Bangladesh; M.Phil Researcher, University of Dhaka; and Academic Councillor, Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad Committee.