Parents' phone obsession blamed for increase in children drowning
Lifeguards have warned parents that their obsession with mobile phones is leading to an increase in children drowning. Safety experts warn people that drowning is a silent killer. It tends to take the life of an individual without others being aware of it most of the time. There have been many cases where people drowned even though they were in a pool which was packed with people. Therefore, parents have been asked to watch out for their little ones every time they decide to get into the water.
Unfortunately, a modern parent has a little device that distracts and makes it hard for them to watch over their kids. With access to social media on phones, parents are more focused on their phones than children.
A shocking trend has been seen among people and now authorities are trying to warn people how concentration on their phones could be the reason for their children's life. The authorities in the United Arab Emirates warned parents to put down their mobiles at the pool after two boys, ages eight and nine, drowned in separate incidents in June, as reported by New York Post. “Families should not be busy with their smart devices while children are swimming," Abu Dhabi Police said in a statement.
The same was noticed in the US when Parents were requested to turn their phones off after drowning of children aged one to four in the states reached twice the national average. Tiffaney Isaacson, a senior injury prevention specialist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital said parents need to decide “who will be the boss of the pool at the poolside that day” adding “they should turn their cellphone off.”
Meanwhile, lifeguards in Germany were able to make a direct link between the increase in child drowning deaths and parents’ smartphone use. Spokesman Achim Wiese said, "Too few parents and grandparents are heeding the advice — when your children and grandchildren are in the water, put your smartphone away," as reported by The Guardian. It has been reported that more than 300 people have drowned in Germany this year.
Peter Harzheim of the German federation of swimming pool supervisors, said, “We’re experiencing on a daily basis that people treat swimming pools like a kindergarten and simply don’t pay attention.” He further added that time has changed as people in the past chose to spend time with their children in the pool but things seem to be different because everyone is glued to their phones.
“In the past, parents and grandparents spent more time with their children in the swimming pool. But increasing numbers of parents are fixated by their smartphones and are not looking left or right, let alone paying attention to their children," he said. “It’s sad that parents behave so neglectfully these days.” At the same time, The German Swimming Association said a lack of swimming lessons and access to swimming pools was also to blame for the deaths. "As a result, many people lack the right knowledge about how to behave in the water,” the association’s Axel Dietrich said.