addictiona total phone ban is tough so colleges are working around the issue says dr minu madlani principal of kpb hinduja college we have to allow it on an experimental basis for degree college students in some lectures students are asked to surf for information online making the phone a learning tool that said overall there is a definite screen addiction menace and there is an urgent need to reduce that addiction we also plan to roll out campaigns such as a no phone day where kids keep the gadgets out and get awardedthe situation prompted a citywide ban amisha mehta parent to a fouryearold is a case in point about how the younger kids are unable to look away from digital screens my daughter alina wouldnt eat breakfast unless we put the phone in front of her it has become so bad that she cries and refuses to eat unless we do so we previously gave her the phone to distract her now she cant do without it she says citing the case of such a digital nanny dr samir h dalwai a developmental pediatrician says parents use a gadget as a means to distract their child to get their work done or a source of entertainment to make up for the missed affection but this has its risks and parents need to come up with effective alternatives the trend of too much screen time in a childs life has become so rampant that it got him and his team to come up with a limitmyscreentime campaign last month he says we see many children every day each with developmental and behavioural concerns and screen time plays a major role in worsening the situation according to research screen use among children aged 08 years has exploded over the decade currently an average twoyearold spends up to two hours on a mobile device whereas the american academy of pediatrics strictly prohibits use of any screen for children below two years except it in a supervised video chat over a period of time concerns can arise such as headaches and back pains in older children due to sitting in front of televisions and computers one of the other major drawbacks of excessive screen time is change in behavior and poor social communication skills watching violent and aggressive content which if left unchecked can lead to similar behavioural changes in children health hazard yes its an actual pain in the neck it causes neck pain and posture problemslooking down at your cellphone for long hours has its pitfalls tightness and pain for one says orthopaedic surgeon dr milind merchant the forward bending position of the neck puts pressure on the spine and that causes neck pain the longer you stay this way the weight exerted around that area increases this can lead to degeneration of the disc and in some cases may cause it to migrate we see youngsters at 18 and 20 years of age coming in with such problems they