Prof Sanjay Munjal from the Department of Otolaryngology, PGI, says for the last three to four years, the department has seen a rise in cases of children speaking late, with limited language, and an increase in cases of autism, more so after Covid.
IN a new project submitted to the ICMR by PGI’s Otolaryngology (ENT) Department, it has been submitted that cases of delayed speech among children are rising, as are the number of patients with hearing disorders between the age of 15 and 30, due to excessive use of electronic gadgets like mobile phones, tabs, gaming devices and screen use.
Prof Sanjay Munjal from the Department of Otolaryngology, PGI, says for the last three to four years, the department has seen a rise in cases of children speaking late, with limited language, and an increase in cases of autism, more so after Covid. “Playing games, watching the screen on phones, tabs are a one-way communication, while speech is two-way, and so it is not being developed. Less social interactions, living in their own world, just watching and listening does not provide the adequate stimulation, required in the first two years. With such young children using gadgets for hours, the effect is being seen, with the autism clinic attending to many cases in a month,” explains Dr Munjal, who says children are referred to the department after an initial diagnosis by the paediatric and psychiatry departments.
Parents, adds Dr Munjal, need to be aware of the signs and symptoms, with the age group between one and six years most important. “Children are using more gestures and signs to communicate, and as their basic needs to express are met with gestures, there is a lack of use of language. Gadgets, less human interaction, break-up of the joint family system, there are several factors contributing to the issues, and we know how children must not be exposed to any gadget for not more than an hour, even less. Here, we offer several therapies, including speech stimulation, and we plan to do a full-fledged study, and have submitted the project to ICMR,” adds Dr Munjal.
The department is also seeing two or three cases of hearing disorders and hearing loss daily. Earlier, these were linked to age, but more and more patients are between 15 and 30 years. “Talking for long hours on mobile phones, excessive use of headphones are the major reasons. More than two hours of exposure can lead to hearing impairment, and tinnitus is also increasing because of excessive mobile use, as the electromagnetic radiation affects the tissues. As many patients report to us late, a lot of damage has already been done, and we must then rely on hearing aids, which could have been prevented,” explains Dr Munjal. Excessive daily use of headphones is one of the leading causes of hearing loss, as this is a direct sound, and our ears are designed to hear sounds only up to 85 decibels (dB), whereas earphones or headphones emit sounds much higher than this.
“If the decibel increases then the usage should also reduce, like 90 dB should not be above four hours, 95 dB for two hours and 100 dB for one hour. As the present generation is exposed to gadgets from an early age, the damage is also seen early, and the first symptom is a ringing sound in the ears or tinnitus. Avoid long calls, use the speaker phone, don’t listen to music on a loud volume for extended periods, and avoid long exposure, in case of any symptom, consult a doctor,” says Dr Munjal.