Marooned on the sofa, transfixed to the screen, playing, twitching and punching as she furiously pushed the buttons, Hiba could not peel her eyes from the smartphone. Video games had invaded her life and weren’t leaving. Gaming is not kid’s play. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently added gaming disorder to its latest draft of the International Classification of Diseases, a highly regarded compendium of medical conditions.

While technology advances have helped us understand and learn concepts faster, these advancements could have a direct effect on the brain’s frontal cortex – which controls executive functioning, including impulsive control – in exactly the same way that cocaine does. They are a form of digital drug.

Working moms have to go through a whole gamut of concerns; same was the story of Hiba’s mom. “I am basically a working mother. I was not able to spend much time with my child and was worried that she was spending too much time with gadgets.”

Frazzled by the situation, she knew it was time to unplug. “Initially when I joined my child in MyBeeClub, I just wanted to keep her engaged and away from gadgets. But to my surprise, I could see a huge improvement in her overall personality. She was able to read story books within months and was performing outstandingly in her school. I would give the entire credit to the teachers.”

By now, Hiba knew that reading was a better idea than tinkering with a phone. She enjoyed the company of books and asked for more. After the Phonics classes helped her read, she was now doing her homework all by herself. The Speed Writing classes improved her handwriting and she was able to finish her class works and tests neatly within the given time frame. Her communication improved with the Spoken English classes.

This transformation was made possible for Hiba by implementing strategies around her learning abilities and EQ. Hiba is an auditory learner. She was constantly appreciated encouraged and rewarded for every effort she took. Her craving for more encouragement made her work hard towards perfection.

A digital detox helped this struggling child to overcome gadget overuse. Don’t let your child slip into the online world. Don’t let smartphone lodge firmly into their hands. Model the behavior we’d like to see in them by reducing your own screen time. So hide your phone from yourself. Lead by example. Put that phone down!