News
Shortsightedness among children on the rise due to digital screen addiction
Giving smartphones to pacify children is making matters worse
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Myopia among children was on the rise due to increased exposure to digital screens, Consultant Paediatric Eye Surgeon at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children Dr. Anusha Tennekumbura stated in a recent televised interview.
“Children now spend long hours staring at phones, computers, or TV screens. At the same time, they spend less time outdoors. This shift is altering the structure of their eyes,” she explained.
While prolonged exposure to digital screens was harmful to adults, the impact on children was significantly greater as their bodies were still developing, Dr. Tennekumbura said, noting that according to guidelines in developed countries, children under 18 months should not be exposed to digital screens at all. “Children aged between 18 months and three years can watch age-appropriate, quality programmes for less than one hour a day, and parents should be with them. Children in kindergarten and primary school should have screen time limited to under 90 minutes a day. Older children, who often require technology for educational purposes, should restrict non-educational screen use to less than two hours a day,” she said.
She also raised concerns about parents increasingly using smartphones to pacify their children. “Many parents give phones to their child before meals, claiming it is the only way to calm them down. This habit is often linked to overfeeding. Parents need to understand that children naturally eat less than adults and will usually consume as much as they need. However, some parents insist their child finishes the entire plate of food they’ve prepared,” she said.
Dr Tennekumbura recommended that children’s vision be tested at the age of four or five. In Sri Lanka, however, children typically had their vision checked for the first time in Grade One, through free school clinics. “If a child’s vision problems are not identified during these Grade One screenings, they may go undetected for several years until the next free clinic,” she noted.
She further emphasised that many children lost their vision due to preventable accidents at home or school. Parents and teachers, she urged, must educate children on safety measures to avoid activities that could lead to injuries and potential vision loss.
The National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC), which is being established under the Presidential Secretariat with the aim of removing administrative and regulatory barriers that exist among government institutions in relation to investment and industry and expediting these processes, will be opened tomorrow (22).
The centre is being established on the President’s initiative with the aim of bringing about a positive transformation in the industrial sector. The centre will provide solutions to issues that arise in dealing with the government machinery when starting and operating a business, while also coordinating with the relevant government institutions to provide the necessary facilities.
The “ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) has been established at Building C-80, Hector Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Colombo 07, and is headed by Senior Additional( Secretary to the President, Seevali Arukgoda.
The centre will be opened under the patronage of Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando and Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, with the participation of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The website https://nbfc.presidentsoffice.gov.lk is also scheduled to be officially launched on the occasion.
President’s Media Division)
Latest News
Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Court of Appeal Judge Mayadunna Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal.
The appointment has been made as President’s Counsel Nalin Rohantha Abeysuriya, who currently serves as President of the Court of Appeal, will be overseas until the 24th.
Accordingly Judge Mayadunna Corea was sworn in as Acting President of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential secretariat this morning (21).
Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was also present at the occasion.
(President’s Media Division)
Latest News
President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
A discussion to review the further measures that could be taken regarding Sivarasa Anojan, a young Sri Lankan national who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, was held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (21), under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The discussion focused on the measures taken to date concerning Sivaraasa Anojan and the further diplomatic and legal steps that could be pursued. Attention was also given to expediting the necessary further measures that could be taken to secure his release.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to continue the necessary diplomatic engagement with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia and to maintain close and continuous involvement in all further measures concerning the case.
Reaffirming the Government’s continued attention to the safety and welfare of Sri Lankans living and working overseas, the President also stressed the need for the relevant ministries and institutions to work in close coordination and pursue all possible measures that could be taken in connection with the case.
Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Governor of the Western Province Hanif Yusoof, Secretary – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Aruni Ranaraja, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism were also present at the discussion.
(President’s Media Division)
“ViYASA” National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) to be opened tomorrow (22)
Court of Appeal Judge M. Sri Mevan Anthony Edirimannasuriya Corea appointed as Acting President of the Court of Appeal
President instructs expediting further measures concerning Sivarasa Anojan, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
It’s Shafali vs Athapaththu as Sri Lanka seek to stop India juggernaut
Trophy row unlikely to repeat in Japan
Powerful explosions at Syrian army site near Aleppo injure at least four
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoUS embassy won’t comment on IGP’s probe into joint drug raid
-
News4 days agoBid for Basil’s extradition nears final stage: Police
-
News3 days agoShanakiyan urges urgent action over reported death sentence for Lankan in Saudi Arabia
-
Features7 days agoThe emptying university: why are academics leaving?
-
Business5 days agoAll-new Bolero MaXX unveiled in Sri Lanka
-
Opinion7 days agoWho committed genocide and created mass graves in Sri Lanka?
-
News2 days agoNamal Rajapaksa Buddhist gambit fails, bail denied
-
Opinion5 days agoA journalist who wrote across the divide