Rotimi Onadipe Warns Parents Against Using Physical Punishment To Control Children's Addiction To Smartphone

Worried about the dangerous effect of smartphone addiction among children in today's digital age, the CEO of Internet Safety Magazine, Rotimi Onadipe, has warned parents not to use physical abuse and violence to control their children's addiction to smartphone.

Onadipe however advised parents to seek professional help on any child that is addicted to smartphone.

Onadipe gave the advice when he was addressing the public at the 135th edition of his awareness campaign on how to avoid online risks. The online safety expert also explained to parents about the dangers involved when physical punishment is used to restrict children from excessive use of smartphone.

According to him, "Smartphone addiction among children is a global pandemic, a serious issue that physical punishment cannot solve. Physical punishment will only cause more harm on addicted children and eventually lead to dangerous consequences.

"Be informed that there are several cases of children that fought their parents and even tried to kill them while some other children attempted suicide because they were restricted from social media by their parents.

"Please, No matter the level of your children's addiction to smartphone, don't slap them and don't hit them with cane, stick, iron or any hard object. Don't refer them to any person or group that will use physical punishment to address their problem," Onadipe added.

"Don't curse them. Avoid physical abuse of your children every time you want to control the amount of time they spend on their smartphone. Don't punch or kick them, and don't throw any hard object on them. Always avoid any action that can injure them in any way because this can provoke them to take dangerous steps that can ruin their lives and lead them to an early grave.

"There are experts that are well trained to address such problems. Reach out to them immediately when you notice any sign that your child is getting addicted to internet or smartphone. It is always better to get in touch with experts to address the menace of smartphone addiction at the early stage before it becomes uncontrollable" Onadipe advised.