Digital devices have become a central part of childhood for many.
Technology offers many learning opportunities ‒ from online learning and educational apps to television and mobile gaming.
Screen exposure is not a luxury; it is now part of daily life.
World Children’s Day, which is rooted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), was marked recently.
Article 24 of the UNCRC guarantees every child the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
Today, that right must extend to protection from preventable digital-related vision problems.
This is a serious modern child-rights issue.
This year’s call to invest more in early childhood aligns perfectly with addressing digital eye strain.
Early childhood is the period when the brain, visual system, and learning foundations develop most rapidly.
Protecting children’s vision during these years is not optional.
It is central to safeguarding their development, school readiness, and long-term health.
Digital eye strain (also described as computer vision syndrome) refers to a collection of symptoms caused by prolonged use of screens.
These include headaches, blurred vision, dry or watery eyes, eye fatigue, difficulty focusing, and even neck and shoulder pain.
Adults experience these symptoms too, but children are especially vulnerable because their visual systems are still developing, and they may not recognise or communicate discomfort until it becomes severe.
As part of the post-pandemic shift, children are now saddled with online assignments, Zoom lessons, digital textbooks, and mobile-based learning tools.
At the same time, social media, streaming platforms, and mobile games have become recreational alternatives.
The issue at hand is not so much about technology as it is about unregulated and prolonged use.
When children focus on a screen, they blink less.
This reduces tear production, causing dry eyes.
The bright light emitted from devices, combined with small text and fast-moving visuals, forces the eyes to work harder.
Over time, the strain accumulates.
There is an increased risk of developing myopia (short-sightedness), a condition already rising globally.
Factors
Behavioural and environmental factors also have detrimental effects.
This includes the use of devices while lying down, in low light, or at extremely close distances.
Prolonged and late-night use of screens can disrupt sleep patterns due to blue-light exposure.
In some schools, children are spending more hours in digital lessons than outdoors.
This reduces their exposure to the protective effect of natural daylight on eye development.
This emerging threat demands concerted action from parents and caregivers, schools, teachers and policy makers.
Adoption of the 20-20-20 rule can promote eye health and also instil the much-needed discipline when it comes to screens: after every 20 minutes of screen use, a child should look at something 20 feet away (equivalent to six metres or three adult strides) for eye rest for at least 20 seconds.
Encouraging outdoor play for a minimum of one to two hours daily also significantly supports eye health.
Devices should be kept at least an arm’s length from the face, and screens should be avoided 1–2 hours before bedtime.
For young children under two years of age, WHO recommends NO screen exposure at all, except for supervised video calls.
Teachers can integrate screen breaks into lessons, encourage print-based activities, ensure classroom screens are placed at appropriate distances, and educate students on healthy digital habits.
Schools can also partner health professionals to conduct regular vision screenings so that children with early symptoms are identified and supported.
At the policy level, Ghana’s education and health sectors can work together to create national guidelines for safe screen use in schools and expand access to eye care.
Protecting young eyes today is an investment in their learning, well-being, and future productivity.
It is time for Ghana to recognise digital eye strain as a real and urgent children’s health issue and respond with the seriousness it deserves.
The writer is a child development expert/Fellow, Zero-To-Three Academy, USA.
E-mail: nanaesi.gaisie@wellchildhaven.com
