This article discusses the effects of prolonged screen exposure on children’s emotional and behavioral development. Wong et al. (2024) reviewed that increased screen time can negatively affect children’s emotions and behavior. Parents need to manage children’s screen time and create a balance between digital and physical activities. On the other hand, they also pointed out that prolonged screen exposure can inhibit children’s engagement in physical activities, which is important for their emotional well-being. Parents’ interactions with the home environment and reliance on electronic gadgets can also negatively affect children’s screen time and emotional development.
In addition, prolonged exposure to screens can also lead to a decrease in social interaction, which is important for developing a child’s social skills. A balance in screen use and spending time on activities promoting social skills is crucial to a child’s overall development. The smart proximity alert system designed by Ismail et al. (2024) can be used to prevent and monitor unhealthy habits related to screen use, especially in children.
The system uses ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between the user and the screen. If the distance is less than 50 cm, a warning in the form of a buzzer and vibration motor will activate. In addition, parents or guardians will receive a notification via the Blynk app. The system is controlled by a NodeMicrocontroller unit and can be customized for different warning distances. For example, the system can be set to give an alert at 30 cm, 40 cm, or any other specified distance.
With this customization, the system can be tailored to specific needs, such as setting stricter warning distances for younger children or customization for older users who require looser monitoring. The smart distance alert system can handle various alert distances for different types of gadgets by setting the threshold distance at which the buzzer and vibration motor activate using ultrasonic sensors.
Reference:
Wong, R., Noor Hanim Harun, Lim Seong Pek, Mohamed, S., Tengku Shahrom Tengku Shahdan, & Ahmad, A. (2024). The impact of screen time on children’s well-being development: a scoping review. International Journal of Public Health Science, 13(3), 1192–1192. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v13i3.24100
Syila Izawana Ismail, Ismail, N., Mohd, H., Omar, S., & Mohamed, S. (2024). Smart distance alert system with Blynk integration for safer gadget use. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 35(1), 70–70. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijeecs.v35.i1.pp70-77
By: I. Busthomi
