Children 'hypnotized' by screens: This is what happens in their brains

Do you know how long an emotion lasts in the brain? 90 seconds. Now, without losing sight of that fact, consider the following: Cocomelon, the popular children's show with 190 million subscribers on its YouTube channel, has more than 35 shot changes per minute. In other words, the scenes—full of colorful animations, characters, and catchy songs—last less than two seconds within episodes that average 45 minutes. While you're doing the mental math to better understand the numbers, imagine everything a baby or child has to process every time they're exposed to such content. Obviously, when exposed to this torrential downpour of stimuli, they don't have time to assimilate so much information . Despite this, their attention to what they're watching doesn't seem to be lost. Coincidence? None. Dangers? Several.

With the advancement of technology, children's drawings have clearly changed; however, despite this often overlooked reality, everything begins on a screen. Overstimulation begins to develop here with the vast amount of sensory information received in a short period of time. A situation that today—and in the future—seems inevitable.

“Let's say the child is 11 months or a year old and the mother already wants them to know the letters of the alphabet, all the vowels, or all the shapes. It's easier to put them in front of a tablet, a cell phone, or the television, because we say, 'Videos are educational.' But these stimuli capture the baby or child's attention because they have, above all, a lot of light, a lot of sounds, and very rapid changes in shots. When we do this excessively or too early, what we're going to do is cause the child to lack that patience, to not know how to wait, or to not have free time because they're used to screens and everything they generate,” explains neurologist Marllory Sisniegas of the Ricardo Palma Clinic.

He goes on to pose the following situation: "If he's in a moment where there aren't those sounds, those stimuli, he'll get desperate or suddenly lose interest in some motor activity. For example, let's say we're giving him a puzzle or something similar that involves inserting pieces, and since he might not have that sound or visual stimulus, he might lose attention."

Dany Araújo, coordinator of the PhD Program in Psychology at Cayetano Heredia University, clarifies that when we talk about early or early childhood stimulation, what is being stimulated are cognitive abilities, such as attention, memory, or creativity, which are essential for learning. "While it is true that these contents facilitate the entire process of psychological development in the child , this will only contribute to the extent that it can be assimilated, that is, that it facilitates a clear understanding of the stimulus, that it facilitates a clear understanding of the elements that comprise it."

What happens when there is overstimulation? The professional indicates that in this case, the stimulus is not captured with the necessary clarity, overlapping other stimuli. "Then, the information doesn't fulfill its function and leads to misinterpretation of what is received, which causes the child to fragment information and can lead to difficulty learning, as well as mental overload."

And he adds: "Many of these stimuli are quite active, such as musical or auditory, which can activate other neuropsychological elements, causing the child to become hooked on this situation and subsequently seek out that same sensation, which is the stimulation of the screen. And this creates a habit that can be detrimental to their health later on."

Cocomelon is just a sample of what children's content is like today, driven by streaming. Elvira Perejón, a teacher and specialist in child and adolescent neuropsychology, analyzed other popular cartoons for El Confidencial , with a similar result. " Paw Patrol drops to about 25 shot changes per minute (and that's still fast). On the other hand, SpongeBob SquarePants has approximately 35 shot changes per minute (apart from not being at all suitable for children), while Percherón Remix from La granja de Zenón reaches 39," she commented in an interview with the outlet.

If we go back in time, away from the aforementioned cartoons, which lead the way in multimedia content services, we will notice great changes in the rhythm of each production. Psychologist Alberto Soler made a comparison, finding that, for example, older animations such as Caillou (between 12 and 14 shot changes per minute), Pocoyo or a classic like Tom and Jerry (8), are more recommendable options because they have more pause, according to the Spanish media ABC . Along these lines, The New York Times , in an article about Sesame Street , says that in the early years of the series “about 130 one-hour episodes were produced per year, a figure that is now unheard of (sometimes it was broadcast up to five times a day)”.

“As a professional, and also from experience because I've seen the cartoons before and can compare them with those of today, I start to think about a specific cartoon like My Little Pony. The ponies have many colors, in their tails, in their crests, the figures they had on their bodies, so if you make a contrast and look at the colors they had, even though they were varied, they were very soft, not saturated compared to other cartoons today like Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig , with strident, very striking colors. These same colors and these screens also impact children's vision,” explains Sabrina Vásquez, director of the Early Childhood Education program at the Autonomous University of Peru.

Another difference he finds is the proximity of the episodes. While today, with YouTube or any digital platform, content seems endless, before the technological boom, you had to wait a day or a week to see a new installment.

“In cartoons before, they would tell you, 'What's going to happen in the next episode? Don't miss it, watch it at the same time on the same channel,' right? However, not anymore; you already know what's going to happen. That space they used to give you between episodes allowed children to even dream and say, 'What's going to happen?' They imagined what might happen in the next episode of the cartoon,” Vásquez emphasized.

Dany Araujo adds another element to the discussion: screen time, as well as the activities children used to do in their daily lives.

“ Ten years ago, while adults averaged two hours in front of a screen and children two and a half hours, more or less, adults now generally maintain that record, but children have advanced to four to five hours, practically double or more. There are even situations where exposure occurs at night, outside of the activities a child should be engaged in.” And she concludes: “Today's content is often expected to be highly engaging and recreational in order to provide stimulation. Previously, there were other means to achieve the same learning process.”

There's one undeniable characteristic every time children watch cartoons today: beyond any gestures expressing a certain emotion, they seem hypnotized. And with each play , not only is the drawing triggered, but also an addiction to them. "If a child spends a lot of time in front of a screen, they don't have any movement interaction; they simply limit themselves to watching something they can't share with someone who might be standing next to them, or even with their parents. The issue of social outings is also at risk," says Sabrina Vásquez.

He adds that creativity is at risk because the production is so rapid that the child doesn't have time to know or infer what might happen to the character . "The narrative of cartoons today is very short, lacking in creativity, which doesn't allow children to develop their creative side. Children are exposed to content that's practically ready and won't allow them to leave anything to their imagination."

The narrative of today's drawings is very short, with a lack of creativity, which does not allow the child to develop his creative side.

The specialist from the Autonomous University of Peru also mentions other risks: “ The physical development of young children is also at risk because when they're in front of a screen, there's an issue of sedentary behavior. Added to this is the issue of obesity, because they're often eating while they're there; as well as postural problems when they're looking at tablets or cell phones. This poses a very serious risk to the spine. Another risk is that the child loses emotional connection.”

For her part, Marllory Sisniegas believes that if a baby or child is overstimulated too early, it can create a deceptive situation that will impact creativity. “Apparently, at the moment, parents will see that the child is learning to recognize colors and shapes; but because they have been so exposed to colors, sounds, and sensory stimuli, they will be very overloaded and will not go through the learning processes in a way that is appropriate for their age.”

He adds, "What this overload can do is that later, when you try to offer them something else or an activity that's appropriate for their age, they won't get that attention anymore. Some mention that they'll become less creative or that that activity suddenly no longer appeals to them because they've apparently already assimilated other similar ones."

The neurologist at the Ricardo Palma Clinic adds that "if a baby is exposed to screens before the age of one and is cared for by a person who doesn't adequately stimulate them, they may have language or social interaction problems, which can sometimes even be confused with autism. But what happens is that this child is only interested in stimuli from technological devices, while stimuli from people or their environment apparently don't interest them."

While the use of screens by children is not advisable, the American Academy of Pediatrics also mentions certain benefits. Parents are primarily responsible for regulating screen time and filtering the content viewed. They should also act as mirrors for their children. In light of this, the importance of creating healthy habits is emphasized, creating a personalized plan for each child, without letting these devices replace healthy activities for the body and mind (such as sleep, family time, and exercise).

In that sense, the organization suggests that if you want to introduce digital devices to children aged 18 to 24 months : choose high-quality programming, use the screens together with your child, and avoid using them alone.

Regarding the benefits of using digital devices, the institution maintains that for children and adolescents, they help "expose users to new ideas and information, raise awareness about current issues and events, promote community involvement, and help students work with others on assignments and projects." Regarding positive social benefits, they "allow families and friends to stay in touch, regardless of where they live, improve access to valuable support networks, especially for people with illnesses or disabilities," and can help promote well-being and certain healthy behaviors, such as quitting smoking or eating healthy.

In any case, to provide the right kind of stimulation through new children's programs, the choice of content will be key . "There are certain cartoons that are interactive through questions, for example , Dora the Explorer, which allows children to give an answer, even though we know she won't listen. These are cartoons that could be a little more deliberate and require a response, giving the child a chance to reflect on what will happen next," concludes Vásquez.

Spending too much time in front of screens can cause emotional and behavioral problems in children, and these situations could lead them to spend even more time online, according to a study published a few days ago in the American Psychological Association's journal Psychological Bulletin .

The research, which reviewed 117 studies and included data from more than 292,000 children worldwide, found that the more time children spent in front of electronic screens, the greater their likelihood of developing social-emotional problems , including internalizing problems like anxiety and depression , as well as externalizing problems like aggression and hyperactivity. It also found that children who experienced social-emotional problems were more likely to turn to screens as a way to cope.

According to the researchers behind the analysis, these findings suggest that parents should be cautious about the screens and restrictions they allow their children.