The difference between Arab children and the children of the founder of Microsoft Bill Gates is that most of our children under the age of 10 have smartphones. They are addicted to surfing, playing games and watching YouTube. They are also encouraged to do so by their parents who consider this to be the way to advance and improve their children's future prospects. Bill Gates does not allow his children access to a personal phone before the age of 14 and, in spite of being the world's leading tech guru, adheres to strict rules on the use of smartphones at home. Some 38 percent of our children under the age of two use smartphones for watching video clips and playing games. Experts in education, sociology and communication science warn that this is frightening and threatening children's health. The use of smartphones causes children to be autistic and develop mental disabilities, and affects their level of interaction with the environment and their surroundings. Parents may use smartphones to calm a crying child and keep him busy, which can have a negative effect on children from an educational point of view because they are not supposed to be exposed to such a large amount of unsupervised content. Others have different opinions and warn against the danger of depriving children of technology and preventing them from being exposed to what is happening in the world. They believe that allowing children to use technology has advantages that far exceed the disadvantages. In Europe, there has recently been a growing interest among parents on this issue with the shocking discovery that children have been exposed to inappropriate information or scenes. As a result, strict rules and time limits have been suggested to prevent this from happening. This is exactly the opposite of what is happening in most of the Arab world where parents are thrilled to see their children using smartphones and consider this to be an indication of progress, well-being and learning. In Germany, there is an initiative to address the situation by defining the age when smartphones can be used and making rules about their use. However, these efforts have collided with another point of view that feels strongly about keeping up with the times and the vast technological and informational developments we are currently experiencing.
