- Specialists from the Ribera healthcare group emphasize the importance of educating people about balanced use, encouraging outdoor activities, physical exercise, and family time, and not banning technology arbitrarily.
- The increase in free time for children and adolescents is driving up their exposure to devices and can replace experiences essential for child development. “It’s good to be bored,” they say, because it fosters creativity and spontaneous play.
With the arrival of summer vacation and the end of school routines, the use of mobile phones, tablets, and video games among children and adolescents increases significantly. This increase, although common at this time of year, can have significant consequences for their physical, emotional, and cognitive development if not managed properly, according to specialists from the healthcare group. Ribera.
“The problem isn’t so much the specific amount of time, but what people stop doing because they’re in front of a screen,” explains Dr. Gonzalo Ros, pediatrician and neuropediatrician at Ribera Mestalla y River Footbridgewho points out that excessive digital activity "can displace basic pillars of children's health such as sleep, physical exercise and family time."
The risk of abuse and the good thing about being bored
The psychologist Juan Pablo López, from Ribera Hospital of MolinaHe points out that in summer "children have more free time and routines disappear, so screens easily become the quickest way to combat boredom."
Along the same lines, health psychologist Daniel Valencia, from the hospital Riverside Juan CardonaHe warns that “what’s alarming is not just the amount of time spent on screens, but when the device becomes the only form of leisure,” neglecting sports, social relationships, or family activities. Experts agree that boredom, far from being negative, is key to child development: it fosters creativity, initiative, and spontaneous play—skills that are lost when these are constantly replaced by digital stimuli.
Impact on the brain, sleep, and behavior
Dr. Ros emphasizes that children's brains are still developing and that screens "are designed to capture their full attention, creating a habit of instant gratification that hinders patience and concentration on other activities." He also points out that excessive use can cause sleep disturbances due to exposure to screen light, increased irritability, fatigue and attention problems, sedentary lifestyles and reduced physical activity, difficulties in social and family relationships, and reduced language and empathy development.
In consultations, as Daniel Valencia explains, it is common to observe that many behavioral and mood problems "improve simply by recovering adequate rest habits."
Warning signs in summer
Specialists from the Ribera healthcare group recommend paying attention to certain behaviors that may indicate problematic screen use, including: irritability or anger when the device is taken away, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, social isolation or rejection of screen-free plans, use of devices to manage emotions (boredom, sadness), and difficulty sleeping or nighttime use of the phone. “The most important indicator is not the number of hours, but the degree of dependence the screen generates,” notes psychologist Daniel Valencia.
Keys to healthy use: educate, don't prohibit
The professionals at the Ribera group agree on a common message: it's not about demonizing technology, but about teaching its balanced use. "Limiting it doesn't mean prohibiting it, but rather helping children develop a responsible use that they will need throughout their lives," emphasizes Dr. Gonzalo Ros.
Among the experts' main recommendations are: establishing clear and agreed-upon rules regarding screen time, avoiding screens before bed and outside the bedroom, encouraging engaging alternatives such as sports, outdoor activities, or family games, creating tech-free moments at home, setting a good example as adults in mobile phone use, and prioritizing companionship and shared time. "The challenge lies in finding a balance that allows us to enjoy digital leisure without sacrificing physical activity, rest, and social interaction," concludes psychologist Juan Pablo López.
