Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

Zerodha's Nithin Kamath Calls Digital Devices New Pacifiers: How Screen Time Can Harm Your Child?

Digital devices have become the new pacifiers, said Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath, raising concerns about the growing impact of excessive screen time on children's behavior and brain development.

Posting a video of cognitive neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath on his social media platforms, Kamath warned that while digital devices often help parents manage their schedules, they can also create long-term dependency among children.

"For most parents, digital devices have become a pacifier; it's a way to keep 'em quiet, and it's understandable, but it ends up creating a dependency in the long run," Kamath said.

In the video, Horvath spoke about a decline in learning abilities among younger generations due to the increasing screen time. Horvath said children today appear to lag behind previous generations in areas such as attention span, memory, literacy, numeracy, and executive function, despite spending more time in formal education.

Kamath noted that his son studies at a school where digital devices are not permitted, and screen use at home is restricted to 30 minutes a day. Despite these limits, the billionaire entrepreneur pointed out how quickly children become drawn to short-form digital content. 

"At Kiaan's (son's) school, no digital device is allowed, and at home, we restrict screen time to 30 minutes a day. But even then, it is crazy, the addiction to reels/clips; I normally catch him browsing through that," the billionaire entrepreneur said.

Horvath said children today appear to lag behind previous generations in areas such as attention span, memory, literacy, numeracy, and executive function, despite spending more time in formal education.

<h2>Long Screen Exposure Can Impact Vision, Brain Development</h2>

Dr Sriram Simakurthy, Chief Medical Officer, Sankara Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, flagged the risk of excessive screen exposure in children with eye health.

“Children can develop particular vulnerabilities because they spend extended periods using screens without taking breaks, and they struggle to identify their symptoms before they become serious. Children who spend extended time looking at screens will face an increased risk of developing myopia (near-sightedness),” the expert said.

Prolonged screen exposure causes people to blink less frequently, which leads to unstable tear film production that results in dry eyes and eye irritation.

Dr. Sreenath S Manikanti, Clinical Director &amp; Senior Consultant - Neonatology and Pediatrics, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said that kids' eye health gets harmed by excessive screen exposure through mechanisms that extend beyond digital eye strain.

Also read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/can-eye-strain-lead-to-brain-cancer-experts-explain-article-153958530" data-type="tilCustomLink">Can 'Eye Strain' Lead To Brain Cancer? Experts Explain</a>

“The extended periods of near-focus work, which include watching screens for too long, create a permanent requirement on the eye to focus, which leads to visual fatigue and alters normal eye development in children. The period of visual system development happens throughout children's growing years,” the expert said. 

Dr. B K Madhusudhan, Lead Consultant – Neurology, Aster RV Hospital, Bengaluru, noted the impact of screen time on brain development. 

“The brain development process in children gets disrupted when they spend too much time using screens because that time replaces their necessary developmental activities. The continuous use of screens results in decreased attention spans, which makes it difficult for children to maintain focus during extended periods and to complete tasks that require their full attention,” Dr Madhusudhan said.

When screen time replaces parent-child conversations, storytelling, and peer interactions, this change impacts language and communication development. These experiences help children develop vocabulary skills and reasoning abilities as well as social understanding. 

“Some children also develop impulsive behavior patterns and struggle with emotional control and information processing because they spend excessive time using screens,” Dr. Madhusudhan said. 

The experts advised people to balance their screen use with outdoor time. 

<ul><li>Take breaks following the 20-20-20 rule </li><li>Keep a proper viewing distance </li><li>Schedule eye examinations for children at regular intervals.</li></ul>

Health Conditions A-Z

health

digital

nithin kamath

myopia

Screen time

zerodha

Digital Devices

Eye health

jared cooney horvath

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Digital devices have become the new pacifiers, said Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath, raising concerns about the growing impact of excessive screen time on children's behavior and brain development. Posting a video of cognitive neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath on his social media platforms, Kamath warned that while digital devices often help parents manage their schedules, they can also create long-term dependency among children. "For most parents, digital devices have become a pacifier; it's a way to keep 'em quiet, and it's understandable, but it ends up creating a dependency in the long run," Kamath said. In the video, Horvath spoke about a decline in learning abilities among younger generations due to the increasing screen time. Horvath said children today appear to lag behind previous generations in areas such as attention span, memory, literacy, numeracy, and executive function, despite spending more time in formal education. Kamath noted that his son studies at a school where digital devices are not permitted, and screen use at home is restricted to 30 minutes a day. Despite these limits, the billionaire entrepreneur pointed out how quickly children become drawn to short-form digital content. "At Kiaan's (son's) school, no digital device is allowed, and at home, we restrict screen time to 30 minutes a day. But even then, it is crazy, the addiction to reels/clips; I normally catch him browsing through that," the billionaire entrepreneur said.  For most parents, digital devices have become a pacifier😬, it&#39;s a way to keep em quiet, and it&#39;s understandable, but ends up creating a dependency in the long run.At Kiaan&#39;s(son&#39;s) school, no digital device is allowed and at home, we restrict screen time to 30 mins a day. But… pic.twitter.com/NTJpBamVil&mdash; Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) April 19, 2026 ]]> Horvath said children today appear to lag behind previous generations in areas such as attention span, memory, literacy, numeracy, and executive function, despite spending more time in formal education. Long Screen Exposure Can Impact Vision, Brain DevelopmentDr Sriram Simakurthy, Chief Medical Officer, Sankara Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, flagged the risk of excessive screen exposure in children with eye health. “Children can develop particular vulnerabilities because they spend extended periods using screens without taking breaks, and they struggle to identify their symptoms before they become serious. Children who spend extended time looking at screens will face an increased risk of developing myopia (near-sightedness),” the expert said. Prolonged screen exposure causes people to blink less frequently, which leads to unstable tear film production that results in dry eyes and eye irritation. Dr. Sreenath S Manikanti, Clinical Director & Senior Consultant - Neonatology and Pediatrics, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, said that kids' eye health gets harmed by excessive screen exposure through mechanisms that extend beyond digital eye strain. Also read: Can 'Eye Strain' Lead To Brain Cancer? Experts Explain“The extended periods of near-focus work, which include watching screens for too long, create a permanent requirement on the eye to focus, which leads to visual fatigue and alters normal eye development in children. The period of visual system development happens throughout children's growing years,” the expert said.  Dr. B K Madhusudhan, Lead Consultant – Neurology, Aster RV Hospital, Bengaluru, noted the impact of screen time on brain development. “The brain development process in children gets disrupted when they spend too much time using screens because that time replaces their necessary developmental activities. The continuous use of screens results in decreased attention spans, which makes it difficult for children to maintain focus during extended periods and to complete tasks that require their full attention,” Dr Madhusudhan said. When screen time replaces parent-child conversations, storytelling, and peer interactions, this change impacts language and communication development. These experiences help children develop vocabulary skills and reasoning abilities as well as social understanding. “Some children also develop impulsive behavior patterns and struggle with emotional control and information processing because they spend excessive time using screens,” Dr. Madhusudhan said. How To Prevent?  The experts advised people to balance their screen use with outdoor time. Take breaks following the 20-20-20 rule Keep a proper viewing distance Schedule eye examinations for children at regular intervals.