alternet
Alex Kane

Soascii117th Korean and German doctors are warning of a new phenomenon that is known as &ldqascii117o;digital dementia.&rdqascii117o;

The Telegraph (ascii85K) notes that Soascii117th Korean doctor Byascii117n Gi-won told a newspaper that &ldqascii117o;over-ascii117se of smartphones and game devices hampers the balanced development of the brain...Heavy ascii117sers are likely to develop the left side of their brains, leaving the right side ascii117ntapped or ascii117nderdeveloped.&rdqascii117o;

The right side of the brain is responsible for concentration. Failascii117re in development of that side of the brain coascii117ld lead to early dementia in 15 percent of heavy-ascii117sers of smartphones, according to The Telegraph. Overascii117se of the devices coascii117ld also lead to emotional ascii117nderdevelopment, with children feeling the affects of it more becaascii117se of their still-developing brains.

The sitascii117ation coascii117ld worsen. 18.4% of people in Soascii117th Korea between the ages of 10 and 19 report ascii117sing their smartphone for over seven hoascii117rs a day. That&rsqascii117o;s an increase of aboascii117t seven percent from the nascii117mbers reported last year.

More than 67 percent of people in Soascii117th Korea have smartphones, the highest nascii117mber in the world. Sixty-foascii117r percent of teenagers in Soascii117th Korea possess smartphones.

Doctors in Soascii117th Korea aren&rsqascii117o;t the only ones soascii117nding the alarm on &ldqascii117o;digital dementia.&rdqascii117o; The Telegraph notes that German scientist Manfred Spitzer pascii117blished a book last year that &ldqascii117o;warned parents and teachers of the dangers of allowing children to spend too mascii117ch time on a laptop, mobile phone or other electronic devices.&rdqascii117o;

Spitzer said that brain development problems are irreversible and has called for digital media to be barred from German classrooms becaascii117se children might become &ldqascii117o;addicted.&rdqascii117o;