PARENTS should avoid looking at mobile gadgets as toys for young children, and strictly regulate their use, a medical specialist said.

Dr. Mervin Edcel Flavier, consultant for Neuro Development and Behavioral Pediatrics at Southern Philippines Medical Center, warned against excessive screen time for children.

“One of the advocacies we would really like to share with every family is that as parents we should control the use of media—these include TV, your computer, your tablets, and even your cellphones,” Flavier said.

He noted that excessive media use distracts children from essential activities, such as studying.

“Instead of studying well, they spend so much time watching videos, spending overnight not being supervised by their parents. So, we ask the parents to kindly watch over their children,” Flavier said.

He cited a World Health Organization study that ranked the Philippines second to last among high school students in public schools in terms of literacy and reading ability.

“Our high school students in public school are having a hard time learning to read,” Flavier said, attributing this to children being preoccupied with video apps like TikTok.

Flavier emphasized parental responsibility in monitoring and regulating children’s media consumption.

He strongly advised against giving gadgets like cellphones or tablets to children under two years old.

“Why? Because their brain is not yet ready for that,” Flavier explained.

He recommended interactive activities like reading, singing, and storytelling, which he observed are becoming less common.

“I always encounter that in the clinics, they do not read to their children anymore because they are busy,” Flavier said. PIA DAVAO