Two-year-old’s life ‘ruined’ by excessive smartphone use

The parents of a young girl were left stunned after discovering that allowing their child to use a phone to watch shows “ruined” her life.

Parents of a two-year-old have been left shocked after their daughter’s life was “ruined” by a smartphone.

The little girl — from Jiangsu in China — has been using a phone to watch shows since she was just a year old, Asia One reports.

Her parents apparently were not strict with her screen time, often letting her use the device for long periods as it was the only thing that calmed her when she was being difficult.

But by the age of two, she was struggling to see, with her parents noticing she was frowning and squinting while watching things on the much-loved device.

Parents in China took their two-year-old to the doctor and discovered their smartphone addiction had caused serious damage. Picture: iStock

Concerned, they took her to see a doctor who diagnosed her severe myopia, better known as short-sightedness.

The child’s eye damage was particularly alarming, with her being affected by an angle of nearly 900 degrees, the Chinese outlet reported.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the parents have been advised the condition is irreversible, and her vision will likely get worse as she grows up.

The toddler’s eyesight had tragically been severely damaged by her phone addiction. Picture: iStock

It’s no secret that smartphones have changed the way we live our lives.

In Australia, the current recommendation is for no more than two hours of screen time per day for children, with screen time not recommended at all for children under two years, according to information listed on The Sydney Children’s Hospital website.

However, despite being billed as a learning tool for kids, a US study recently found that just two hours of daily screen time can dangerously change a child’s brain structure.

As a result, Aussie parents are confused, with many admitting they’ve found navigating the use of smartphones “unrealistic” or “conflicting”, according to a report by the ABC.

The full extent of the child’s eye damage was particularly alarming, with her vision being affected by an angle of nearly 900 degrees the Chinese outlet reported. Picture: iStock

As well as being physically damaging, research published last year revealed that 2012 was the year kids “lost” their childhoods to technology.

Dr Tom Nehmy described an alarming link between phones and mental-ill health in an article for news.com.au, stating a 2018 report card’ by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) revealed an increase in the number of young Australians experiencing “high or very high” psychological distress between 2011 and 2015.

It added there were two major changes in that time period: technology and parenting practices.

How much screen-time do you give your kids? Let us know in the comments below.

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