Some parents forbid young children from owning smart phones (cell phones with Internet access), while others disagree and believe that they are important tools for keeping in touch. Which point of view do you think is better, and why?

In the contemporary world, smart phones are omnipresent, versatile and are regarded as one of the most basic tools one can own. Although smart phones has its own set of merits and advantages, I concur with the parents who forbid yound children from using them. To shed some light on the downsides of these smart phones, I would like to highlight on the effects it has on young childrens' physical, mental and social well-being. Coming to the physical health, there's an active debate on the harmful radiations that these smart phone screens emit and how it can damage our eyes with a high and consistent consumption. Children are so engrossed in smart phones, that they don't participate in physical activities or sports or even simple chores. Lack of physical activity in the young can be unhealthy leading to medical problems and can make them lethargic. From a mental health perspective, these smart phones can be quite addictive and children tend to isolate themselves and bottle up their feelings and emotions. Because they are young, they are more likely to be gullible and slip into a virtual world or consume wrong kind of content or websites. Also, the young might not have full awarness of the plethora unsafe activities which is now at the tips of their fingers or how to shield themselves from such entities. Lastly, socially, many young children have cut down on their interactions by a large extent due to smart phones. With the growing popularity of smart phones, children are decreasingly incentivised to have real-life socialisations and do not pay attention. Even being present in the moment would seem like a task if they are heavily consuming smart phones from such a young and tender age. Conclusively, although smart phones are immensely helpful tools in today's day and time, young children might not be the perfect audience to consume them due to their limited maturity, awarness and judgmental skills. These might have long-lasting implications on their social, mental and physical health in both short and long runs.