Recently, I visited a friend’s home and noticed his five-year-old son having lunch while watching cartoons on YouTube. Even during conversation, his eyes remained glued to the screen. This is not an isolated incident; it has become a daily reality in our society.
Gone are the days when children ran freely in open fields, played with dolls, or lost themselves for hours in books. Today, mobile phones, tablets, and screens occupy that space, creating a silent but powerful addiction.
Initially given for entertainment, and later used as a tool by parents to “keep children quiet,” mobiles are leading our future generation toward serious psychological consequences. Children are drifting away from reality into a virtual world where relationships and responsibilities are absent—only loneliness and dependency remain.
Many children now play games while forgetting to eat, resist sleep at night because “there’s one more video to watch” on YouTube, and hardly spend meaningful time with family. Gradually, this fosters irritation, emotional imbalance, and a habit of being alone.
If we fail to provide alternative sources of joy, technology will control children rather than being controlled by them. We must revive play, reading, storytelling, and family time. The solution is not merely prohibition—it is replacement. Once childhood is lost, it never returns.
Today, we must ask ourselves: Do we want a generation enslaved by screens, or a creative, empowered future?
