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Paediatricians and psychologists express growing concern over early screen exposure in children.
Excessive screen use is linked to stunted social and sensory development.
Children may miss crucial real-world interactions, impacting their ability to form healthy relationships later.
Early childhood, particularly from birth to five years, is a critical window for rapid brain development. During this period, the brain forms billions of neural connections that lay the foundation for cognitive, social, emotional, and sensory skills. Real-world interactions, exploration, and play are essential stimuli for these connections. Excessive screen time can displace these vital activities, potentially leading to developmental delays.
Simple Analogy: Imagine building the foundation of a house. If the foundation isn't properly laid and strengthened during its construction phase, the entire structure built upon it will be unstable. Similarly, early childhood is the foundation-laying stage for human development.
Increased internet penetration and device accessibility under Digital India may inadvertently lead to higher screen exposure among children, making this a more widespread concern.
NEP 2020 emphasizes Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and holistic development. The negative impacts of screen time could undermine the objectives of fostering well-rounded development in young children.
Beyond social and sensory development, excessive screen time is also linked to other mental health issues in children, such as attention deficits, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and behavioral problems.
To improve the nutritional and health status of children (0-6 years) and lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development.
Key: Provides supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, referral services, and pre-school non-formal education, promoting crucial real-world interactions.
To achieve universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health care services.
Key: Includes the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health + Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) strategy, which focuses on child health and development, indirectly addressing factors that impact overall well-being.
GS Paper I (Social Issues), GS Paper II (Health, Governance, Social Justice). Questions can be conceptual, asking about implications or policy responses.
General Awareness. Factual questions on child development, health concerns, or related government initiatives.
General Awareness. Basic understanding of social issues and health trends.
General Awareness. Similar to SSC, focusing on basic facts and general knowledge.
Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana: 1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments. 2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women. 3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women. 4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age. How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: Only two
Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy: 1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women. 2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth. 3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents. 4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis. How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: Only three
Consider the following statements: 1. The Self-Help Group (SHG) programme was originally initiated by the State Bank of India by providing microcredit to the financially deprived. 2. In an SHG, all members of a group take responsibility for a loan that an individual member takes. 3. The Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Commercial Banks support SHGs. How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer: Only two
Medium (as a contemporary social and public health issue, its relevance is increasing).
The branch of medicine dealing with children and their diseases.
The process by which a child learns to use their senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to understand and interact with the world.
The process by which a child learns to interact with others, understand social cues, and develop interpersonal skills.
A specific time frame in development when an organism is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli or experiences, which are crucial for the acquisition of particular skills or functions.