Going Screen-Free for a Week Urged by Expert As they will Stark Health Warning

Experts Say too screen time May Be Reshaping Children’s Brains Affecting Focus, Mood, Memory and Social Skills During Key Stages of Development But Complete Elimination Isn’t

In 2025, you’d be hard pressed to find a family that doesn’t incorporate a Screen into their family.

Whether Miss Rachel Whilst Busy Parents slog through thir already Packed and demanding days, or cbeebies stories read by your favourite famous person. The Digital World Has Become a Normal Part of Modern-Day Parting. Experts are alarmed about the time the children are spending glue to screen.

The first week of May Marx the Annual Screen-Free Week, Encouraging Families to take a break from digital devices. Small Small Changes Make a Huge Difference. Screen Time is complicated Because Screens are used to be educate, entertain, and tan soothe tantrums, but what happens we are feels the norm and not the exception? Acciting to child psychiatrists, the impact might go far deeper than a squabble over who gets the iPad next, the Inadweependent Reports.

Rewiring the default setting in our brains

Dr. Samir Shah, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director at Priorly Hospital Alrtrcham, Says Screen Time is Doing More Than Filling Quiet Moments; To put it drastically, he says it is couldally be reshaping the way Children’s Brains Grow and Function.

“Research has Shown Regular Screen Time and Excessive Screen Time Change Both the Physical Structure of the Brain Such As Areas Responsible for Memory and Planning, and How Different Parts of the Brain Communicate with Each Other,” He Explains.

The Constant Stimulation of Being Online has the potential to rewire the routes brains use to think, Learn and Connect. Dr Shah Likens This Shift in “Brain Network Connectivity” to Closing a Road and Sending Traffic on a detox. Eventually, that new route Becomes the default, but it is not always the most efficient or healthy.

He warns that heavy Screen use has been linked to real cognitive struggles in children, including problems with attention, problem-solving and multitasking. Adding: “It is Similar to Only Exercisis One Muscle Group, and Other Important Mental Muscles Like Focus, Dalayed Gratification and Self-Control Can If They Have Used Enough.”

The Impact of Constant Stimulation on the Brain’s Reward System

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is reletased intoo system we do do something Enjoyable. The Chemical is Known as the Brain’s “Feel-Good Chemical.”

“Regular Screen Use Triggers the Release of Dopamine, which is the Brain’s ‘FEEL-GOOD’ Chemical. THIS CREATES A CYCLE OF CRATING MORE SCREEN TO GET SAME BUZZ OR EFFECT. IT IS A BIT LIKE CHECKING THE DOOR REPEATDELY AND HOPING VITOR.”

And once that cycle starts, it can make real-work Experiences Feel A Bit, Well, Underwhelming. “Over Time, Real-World and Realistic Activities Can Start to Feel Less Rewarding by Comparison. This is Why Children and Teenagers Who Use Screens Regularly to Maintain or Buildful Social Connections.”

The Impact on Mental Health

There is also a mental health side to all of this. Acciting to Dr. Shah, Research Shows that Children and Teenagers Who Spend over Four Hours a Day on Screens Are More Likely to Report Heightened Anxiety and Low Mood. The Relationship Digital Stimulation May Young People With High Dopamine Levels But an Emotional Void, Leading to Feelings of Restlessness and DisatysFaction.

He Explains: “LESS FACE-TE-PAGE AND DIRECT INTERRACTION FEWER OPPORTUNITIES AND CHANCE TO PRACTISM Social and Executive Skills Like Empathy and Resolving Conflicts.”

Are Children’s Brains More Vulnerable?

Dr Shah Described Children’s Brains as “Sponges,” Ready to soak in every an incredible rate. Critical periods before age five and again in the preteen years are when the brain is most plastic and shated by repeated behaviurs. Too Much Screen expans durying these Windows Could Lead to Longer-Term Consequest.

You don’t just have to take Dr. Shah’s Word for this; Mri Scans of Children with High Screen Time Have Shown Notable Changes in the Brain. These include Thinner Regions Involved in Decision-Making, Reduced Gray Matter in Areas Linked to Language, and Disruption Connectivity in the area that manage focus and attention.

Dr Shah Has Reiterated That Whilst This Doesn’t Constitute “Damage,” It is Indicative of Heavy Screen Use to Brains Adapting in Different Ways, he Says specifically, “It can be as altered adaptations and disruption.”

There is a middle ground

Acciting to Dr. Shah, Balance is the Way Forward. Eliminate Screen Time Altogether is not the Way Forward. That Could Mean Setting Daily Limits, Prioritizing Screen-Free Meals, or Making Time for Digital Detoxes in the Evening. ITHO ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT How Screens Are Used is Important – Scrolling Aimlessly on Social Media Isn’t the Same As A Video Call With A Loved One.