Can mobile usage cause Virtual Autism?

My daughter was born in the pre-covid time so when the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, she was still toddling. We were locked within the confines of our home for quite a while, being able to enjoy the growing phase of our little one to the fullest and spend some precious moments with her. Though health-related anxieties to keep COVID away were natural, we were happy to be together and safe during those tough times.

Confined within the walls of our house, TV and other electronic gadgets became a major part of our lives. Work from home became a norm causing additional screen time. And to keep our chirpy, hyperactive daughter busy while we were working online, she was introduced to her little screens too. And it worked! She got instantly hooked to the mobile phone, iPad, TV etc. Access to innumerable videos and games for kids online kept them engaged for long hours and we were happy to have found a convenient solution to keep our daughter busy.

Must Read: Pregnancy, Emotions and Autism

When the lockdown was finally lifted, we still didn’t venture out much. As a precautionary measure to prevent our delicate young one from viral exposure, she was still kept indoors. And the friendly gadgets cooperated again. The little offspring was not only delighted to stay home with her virtual friends but also, learnt a lot while playing with them. And we couldn’t thank technology enough for being a savior during those trying times.

Finally, it was time to send our not-so-little-one now to school. She was very excited as she had seen many videos pertaining to school, books, playground etc online and was expecting a similar experience. But when we introduced her to her teacher, our little angel froze. With kids running around playfully, sharing toys, swinging, sliding etc, she felt very intimidated and ran back to our car crying. We apologized to the school staff who were very understanding and excused ourselves.

Must Read: Well-Balanced Diet for Short Height

Back home, we took all measures to console and convince our young one to try and make real friends but she became more and more irritable. She continued pretend play with her imaginary, digital friends and became frightened at the mere mention of going out. Helpless, we decided to consult her pediatrician and that’s when we came to know about ‘Virtual Autism’. 

Too much exposure to digital activities had limited our daughter’s abilities to the virtual world and thus, she felt disconnected with the real people and real world. The technology that was a boon for us during COVID times became an overnight curse. And we were aghast!

Must Read: Homeopathic Medicines for Sprains and Strains

As speech and language development is commonly affected in such children, we were lucky that our daughter had no such speech delays. However, it did come to our notice then, that she had an unusual tone of voice as by mimicking the animated characters online. Her concentration and attention span was only restricted to electronic devices and she rarely followed our verbal instructions otherwise. She had become rebellious, obstinate and very cranky.

Addressing all our concerns, the doctor reassured us and provided certain remedial actions to undo the damage done. Technology needed to take a backseat to introduce real-world experiences. But that seemed impossible to us then. She was addicted to her virtual friends.

Must Read: Homeopathic treatment for ADHD

Following doctor’s advice religiously, we introduced her to new fun activities step-by-step with comparatively less screen involvement. Rewarding her for the smallest of achievements was a major attraction for her and she started showing interest in a few hobby activities. It required a lot of patience and perseverance but gradually, she weaned off the digital devices and became our playful, friendly little girl again. And she did make real friends in the neighborhood!

Glad and relieved, we thanked the paediatrician immensely and even vowed to never dedicate too much screen time ourselves to set an example for the younger ones. Less devices also means more physical, family time which is essential for a child’s growth.

We had learnt our lesson well in time. And hope our learning helps to enlighten other parents too.