Scientists have discovered a link between the use of smartphones and squinting in children

Prolonged use of smartphones can become a cause of strabismus, according to the experts. Such are the results of a research by scientists from Chonnam University Hospital in South Korea. There is a particular risk for children between the ages of 7 and 16 years, said the scientists. They note that recently the hospital received a number of young patients with signs of early squint. As later became clear in the research, the young patients have used smartphones between 4 and 8 hours daily for games and reading.

In 9 of 12 cases the symptoms disappeared two months after the patients stopped using their smartphones. According to the doctors those conditions established a link between the use of smartphones and squinting.  Scientists advised parents to monitor their children not to use for more than half an hour their smartphones without interruption and to take breaks so their eyes may not be overwhelmed.

You can also try some parental control apps. We are happy with this one. It's educational and it's funny.

Tablets and smartphones are the favourite toys of the children up to 8 years

Tablets and smartphones are the favorite toys of the children up to 8 years in USA, according to a study by Safer Internet Centre delivered recently. According to most of the surveyed parents, the Internet helps their children to communicate with their peers. Most of the children at this age already have profiles on social networks made by their parents.

Tablets and smartphones, except at home, are also being used in schools and kindergartens, where, however, these devices are either prohibited, or there are no clear rules for their use.

According to the head person of the study, Dr. Louisa Shahbazyan, to avoid the negative impacts from the internet, the children need skills and knowledge that should receive from both parents at home and teachers in their schools.

Shahbazyan said that there is much dangerous content related to violence against people or animals on the web. And that content is just two clicks away from ads or cartoons that kids watch on the Internet.

"The children bring their devices to the kindergartens and schools, as there are no rules for their use, so the children can use them uncontrolled. And what about the parental control? It's difficult and inefficient. In none of the families that were surveyed, there were any clear precise rules relating to the devices. In many places there are some rules - the child should use the device for no more than several hours or may not take it away from home. But these rules are often not respected. for example, the parent decided to compromise because the other kids on the playground also have devices, "she said.

Some children even use their devices in order to make money from them, according to the research. One of the children understood how to make profiles in "Facebook" and sold them for 50 cents to other children.

Parental Control for Android & iOS

Android and iOS devices generally have integrated parental control software, and if you have not worked with it yet, maybe you do not have to do it - from the following lines you can learn how to quickly lock temporary access to your kid's mobile device.

Those of you who are parents have probably already discovered another one of Murphy's Laws, which states that the more expensive and valuable a device is, the more likely it is that kids get at it and never let it go. Moreover, most likely they have found that tablets and smartphones with their colorful displays, spectacular animations and interesting sounds, contain irresistible attraction for small children - whether the gadgets have games or not. Well, if the device is meant to fall victim to communicate with teenagers, probably this will not be a big drama, but if immature hands get to your email, for example, then this may cause lots of issues.

Indeed, you can always provide a suitable environment for children on their Android or iOS device, but the ways for doing this are quite cumbersome. There are ways to lock access to the device which typically lock buttons on the home screen or provide special passwords or gestures after "waking up" the device. In many cases they will probably do the job, but they can be overcome relatively easily.

Android and iOS devices generally have integrated parental controls, but they are not perfect - they can't be turned on with the push of a single button, for example. Blocking access to web, messages and applications for online payments will surely take at least a few minutes. Plus more time to return things to a state suitable for consumption by adults. It's not very convenient if you use your mobile device frequently.

But there are also a convenient ways to ensure your mobile gadgets, making them safe for children. One such software is StudyLock - parental control software for Android. An iOS version is being developed right now. It's a helpfull tool, which will also help your kid in its studies. Check it out!