Tobacco -In the European country Spain, smartphones will soon have warnings like tobacco (harmful to health). A committee of experts has advised the Spanish government regarding the use of smartphones. In this, companies selling smartphones in the country have been advised to label health-related hazards on the phone.
Apart from this, the committee has also advised in its report to ask doctors in the country about the screen time of patients during their treatment. Spain is preparing to make a law to control the use of smartphones by children. A 50-member committee was formed for its draft.
Tobacco warnings-Limited access to children up to 13 years
The committee formed for the law related to the use of smartphones has advised to control the use of digital devices for children up to 13 years. The 250-page report recommends that parents should avoid giving digital devices to children under 3 years old.
For children up to 6 years old, they should only provide these devices when absolutely necessary. It suggests that children between 6 and 12 years of age should use phones without internet access. Additionally, the report advises encouraging these children to engage in sports and outdoor activities for entertainment.
Warnings will also be shown in apps
The report has also asked to show health-related warnings while using social media apps. For this, the committee has advised that app companies will give pop-up messages related to warnings on the screen before or during the use of the app.
These pop-up messages will show the health hazards caused by the use of the app and the maximum time limit for use. The committee has asked to register smartphone addiction as a public health concern. Its purpose is to quickly solve the problems caused by smartphone use.
In addition, doctors should ask people of all ages about their smartphone use during treatment. They also need to inquire about smartphone usage when investigating depression and anxiety in adolescents.
