Bohras go all out to save their kids from phone addiction

The Dawoodi Bohra community has united for a cause that’s hitting parents everywhere hard – they are fighting to save their children from cell phone addiction. Aimed at children aged below 15, the community has launched a mobile screen-free campaign

MUMBAI: The Dawoodi Bohra community has united for a cause that’s hitting parents everywhere hard – they are fighting to save their children from cell phone addiction. Aimed at children aged below 15, the community has launched a mobile screen-free campaign that has schools, counsellors and doctors rooting for the mental health of their children and young adults. It’s part of a global programme launched in the community on Monday.

Bohras go all out to save their kids from phone addiction

Arva Jaal is relieved to finally have the support she needs to wean her daughters away from the small screen. She is a mother of two girls, aged 8 and 13, who attend the community’s school at MSB Institute of Education in Mazgaon. “I noticed their focus was lacking and their attention span shrinking by the day. My children were becoming increasingly impatient and inattentive, and their academic performance was also slipping. Now, as part of this campaign, we use various strategies to keep our kids away from screens. We engage them in games to foster their development and limit their screen time,” said Jaal.

She has a tip for fellow parents. To manage her elder daughter’s screen time, Jaal had linked her phone to a Family Link app supported by Google, which allows parents to monitor and restrict content. But, she laughs, “Kids are so tech-savvy, they have learnt to deactivate the app. Nothing seems to stop them.” So, when these measures didn’t work, she took a different approach. “I advised them to play outdoors as excessive screen time can harm their mental health.”

Jaal’s approach is at the heart of the campaign launched by the community. Taking the lead in this massive effort is the Mumbai office of the Dawoodi Bohras, who have roped in schools run by the community at Breach Candy, Mazgaon and Mohammed Ali Road. Various trusts and departments of the community too are involved in this initiative.

Seminars are also being conducted at community centres, underlining the need for collective action. Special initiatives and programmes have been planned with the support of doctors and experts, to help the community make the shift to healthy lifestyle habits among children below 15. Parents are also being involved in physical engagements and activities at home through sports, books, games and connecting with nature.

Zainab Lokhandwala, a parent residing in Sandhurst Road, is a mother of a four-year-old daughter. She shared, “My child was a picky eater and when I started solid foods, I used the mobile as a distraction to get her to eat. I also gave her a phone when I would go out. But when she turned three, she started picking up stuff from the internet, imitating expressions from what she saw online, and using phrases that were not acceptable to me. That’s when I thought it should be controlled.”

Lokhandwala is now a firm believer in encouraging children to play. “Cognitive development, fine motor skills and gross motor skills occur when you play with your children. We are responsible for introducing them to this bad habit. It is within our power to control it,” she said.

Dr Zahabiya M Bagwala, a pediatrician, said that children hooked to the small screen exhibit not only psychological symptoms but also ophthalmological issues too. “By the age of 15-16, the pre-frontal cortex of the brain develops, so that is the appropriate time to give them a cell phone as the child can now understand what is right and wrong,” she said.

Dr Huzeifa Husein, an ophthalmologist with Saifee Hospital, concurs, “Hyperopia (farsightedness) used to be common among children but now there is an epidemic of myopia (nearsightedness). This is due to excessive screen time. Also contributing to this is the fact that children don’t spend enough time playing in sunlight.”

He adds, “In Australia, young people under 16 have been banned by law from using social media. So, there should be age-restrictive usage of cell phones, including a blanket ban on these devices for children under five years of age. After the age 16, it doesn’t damage the eyes.”

Fatema Bhanpurawala, a resident of Mazgaon and mother to a 10-year-old buy and newborn twins, says peer pressure is a challenge but is determined to not let her children fall prey to cell phones. “This community initiative is truly a blessing in disguise,” she said.