Pediatricians diagnose health consequences for all age groups - those most affected are 10 to 13 year olds

Smartphones, tablets and game consoles captivate children. This has dramatic consequences for health: Pediatricians see health problems in children of all ages that they attribute to increasing media use. Children between the ages of ten and 13 are most affected. But small children also suffer significantly from their daily use of smartphones. These are the results of the study “Smart Growing Up 2019?” by pronova BKK, for which 100 pediatricians were surveyed.

Three quarters of pediatricians note that patients between the ages of ten and 13 in particular have health problems such as obesity or learning difficulties. They see this as a consequence of increasing media use in childhood. “Many children get their first smartphone between the ages of ten and 13. The consequences can be seen in pediatricians’ practices. “This should wake up parents, but also teachers and educators, and encourage them to closely accompany children when using their own devices,” says Dr. Gerd Herold, consultant doctor at pronova BKK.

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However, the difficulties begin much earlier and, from the doctors' point of view, are already clearly visible in early childhood: a third of pediatricians diagnose deficits in motor development in children under three, because this age group also already gets their hands on smartphones and tablets. 95 percent of pediatricians agree: Children who are impaired as a result of media use are getting younger and younger. “Uncontrolled media consumption by small children can harm their development in many ways: These children usually do not move enough, their language development is inhibited and their creativity cannot develop,” says Stella Beck, health educator (M. Sc.) from pronova BKK .

Consoles, tablets and smartphones are childhood companions in all age groups. Around two thirds of doctors also see this as a strain on the health of kindergarten and primary school children between the ages of three and nine. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 seem to cope somewhat better with the use of smartphones etc. But even for this age group, around half of the pediatricians still recognize health impairments as a result of smartphone use.

Increase in social abnormalities

Pediatricians attribute a whole range of symptoms to excessive media consumption. According to the survey, these include obesity, social problems, motor deficits and learning development disorders. At the same time, pediatricians see these problems on the rise. 79 percent of the doctors surveyed reported that they had noticed increased social problems in their young patients over the past five years. 75 percent register that more and more children weigh too much. 82 percent are already noticing social isolation among young people, for which they blame media use.

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To the study

The study “Smart Growing Up 2019?” was carried out in October 2019 on behalf of pronova BKK as part of an online survey. 100 practicing pediatricians nationwide were surveyed.

About pronova BKK

The pronova BKK was created from mergers of the company health insurance companies of well-known global corporations such as BASF, Bayer, Continental and Ford. Open nationwide to all interested parties, over 660,000 insured people already trust the health insurance company with their health. Whether via app, chat, the 24-hour service telephone or in the 60 on-site customer services – pronova BKK takes care of its customers’ concerns at all times. Further information at pronovabkk.de .

Source: PP/pronova BKK
Article image: CroMary / Shutterstock

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