In a time when children receive smartphones already in the lower grades of elementary school, a parents’ decision to limit or completely ban their use of devices often causes astonishment from their surroundings, but also resistance from the children themselves.
This is exactly what Novak Đoković spoke about with Ivan Ivanović, revealing that his children, despite pressure from school and peers, do not have phones yet. His stance comes at a time when more and more experts are warning that excessive use of mobile phones and social networks can affect children’s development, sleep quality, concentration, emotional health, and social relationships. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that digital content can be beneficial when carefully controlled, but warns that platforms often encourage prolonged use that disrupts sleep, physical activity, and the development of healthy habits.
“Everyone has phones. We live in a digital age and technological development has been crazy in the last 15 years. I am a parent of two children – 7 and 10 years old. They don’t have phones because my wife and I oppose it. On the other hand, every now and then they complain. Everyone at school has phones except us. Why can’t we? It’s not easy at all because if everyone does something, then you have to follow that too. Well, it doesn’t really have to be that way. That is how we differ from other nations, among other things why we are a heavenly people, because we are stubborn in both a positive and a negative way. We often happen to use that trait against ourselves. But, if we know how to control and channel it in the right way, that defiance. That is something that sets us apart. One should work on oneself to be self-reliant, independent, and to develop critical thinking, and to take everything with a healthy dose of reserve.”
His words coincide with the increasingly loud warnings of health organizations around the world. The World Health Organization recommends that children under the age of two should not spend any time in front of screens, while for ages two to five, a maximum of one hour per day is advised. Experts particularly warn that the problem is not only the amount of time spent with a phone, but also the fact that digital content often replaces sleep, physical activity, spending time outdoors, and direct communication with family and peers, but also the encouragement and development of creativity and critical thinking, which Đoković also spoke about.
FIND OUT MORE
In recent years, a large number of studies have been published linking the excessive use of smartphones in children and teenagers with a higher risk of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and attention problems. Some experts even recommend that children should not get smartphones before the age of 14, precisely because of the impact of social networks and constant exposure to digital content.
Although today it is almost impossible to completely isolate a child from technology, experts increasingly point out that the most important thing is to teach children how to develop a healthy relationship with screens. Đoković’s stance is therefore seen by many as an attempt to provide his children with precisely what psychologists and pediatricians consider crucial for development: independence, critical thinking, and the ability not to succumb to every social pressure. In an era where phones become an extension of the hand already in childhood, the question is no longer whether children will use technology, but when and under what conditions they will get it.
MORE TOPICS:
BRAVO, GIRLS!: Serbian female rowers won the silver medal at the European Junior Championship!
Source: Nova.rs; Photo: Printscreen Instagram @DjokerNole