Social media apps , video games designed to be an "addictive drugs" for children -- Mental health coach

Mrs Bukola Lameed, a  Family Mental Health  Coach and Founder Safety Republic International has disclosed that social media applications and video games were  deliberately designed to be an "addictive drugs" for children.

Lameed who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Lagos on Thursday  , explained that it was important to preserve childhood experiences and its memories. 

She noted that adults have changed by creating unhealthy systems that were robbing children of healthy childhood innocence, experiences and memories. 

She said : " Believing the narrative of  "this is just how it is for 21st century generation" , "they were born into the technology generation and it is expected that they play video games , surf the internet and social media.", but guess what? It is not normal. 

"It has been confirmed that there are teams of experts inside gaming and social media companies deliberately trained in child psychology and neuro-addiction with one task:  to keep children hooked  to their screens.

" Taking thier attention away from physical relationship and other social human activities required for a child's normal development and easy transition into adulthood .

"Games and social media apps dump 'digital dopamine' on kids' brains, and guess what? The brain can't tell the difference if this dopamine comes from gaming or from "real" drugs. To the brain, it's all just an addictive chemical. 

 

"Children have become so addictive that if a video game, or phone privileges were taken away from them, there's a likelihood that they may react with an unhealthy behaviour, because they have been conditioned to become useless, clueless, and helpless without them.

"Many children died not knowing how to PLAY. The only language if play they understand is Online Games and other social media apps.

"Attention is the new currency, and with millions of apps screaming for tiur child's' attention, wealth is created at the expense of a child's emotions and mental wellness.

"It's time to stop this lab rat and selfish screen experiment and take back our children, ourself, and our family.

Lameed stated that it was important to reduce the screen and games times, create boring periods for children, saying that it would  help  develop creativity, practise social media detox, reconnect with your kids, create healthy human relations and interactive systems for children to thrive.

"This is all on us as child handlers to fix. Let children be children again. Preserving  childhood experiences and its memories," she stated.