France bans children under 3 years old from playing iPad

These days, the iPad is so common in our lives, especially it is something that many parents love to use to keep their children sitting still.

Spending too much time on screens causes changes in children's brains (illustrative photo)

The French government bans smart device use for children under 3 years old, while Australia and Canada have similar recommendations and guidelines.

So what happens if children are exposed to smart devices too early or too long? According to Dr. Aric Sigman, early screen time can become a habit when they grow up. Entertainment media can lead to changes in the brain. Spending too much time on screens causes significant changes in brain chemistry - most notably the release of dopamine - this neurotransmitter - also known as the "happy chemical".

Dopamine is produced when we see interesting and new things, but it also has a second function. Dopamine is also the neurochemical involved in most addictions, Sigman warns.

More dangerously, spending too much time on screens reduces human-to-human contact, and lack of social connection is associated with physiological changes, increased rates of disease and higher rates of premature death.

According to Thanh Nien