Overuse of digital technology has been linked to a variety of developmental issues in children. Getty Images
Overuse of digital technology has been linked to a variety of developmental issues in children. Getty Images
Overuse of digital technology has been linked to a variety of developmental issues in children. Getty Images
Overuse of digital technology has been linked to a variety of developmental issues in children. Getty Images

It's time to encourage our children to log off and explore the real world


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Last week, Jameela Al Muhairi, UAE Minister of State for Education urged parents to ban digital games and to encourage young children to play outdoors more. Her concern is that digital technology is negatively impacting children's ability to explore their wider surroundings and to learn through the rough and tumble of real-world experience.

I share the Minister's worries. There is little doubt that over-reliance on digital technology at a young age is associated with problems in social, emotional and cognitive development. What is more, by their very nature, we cannot know the long-term developmental impact of new technologies until their effects can be seen.

My handwriting is atrocious and my spelling is pretty abysmal too. I was an early adopter of personal computing, and as soon as I could convince an adult to buy me one, all my writing was done on a digital word processor with an inbuilt spell checker. I have never looked back. Give me a pen and some paper and it is obvious that my over-reliance on technology, at a relatively young age, has resulted in a mild case of acquired dysgraphia.

I can live with my messy handwriting and embarrassing spelling − the costs are not that great. I was about 12 when I got my first digital device, but back then bikes, balls and fishing rods were still the mainstay of my recreational life.

Today, however, a child’s first and favourite toy is likely to be some form of tablet. When my daughter was three years old, I saw her fast asleep, cuddling my iPad as though it were a teddy bear. Heartbreaking. It appears that younger and younger children are spending increasingly protracted periods glued to digital devices. In the absence of parental intervention, I suspect we will end up with something far worse than a generation of adults with poor handwriting.

Research on this topic published earlier this year in the academic journal Addictive Behaviors points to a relationship between "problematic" or excessive use of technology – including social media and digital games − and depressive symptoms among young people. The same body of research also reports similar relationships between problematic technology use and social anxiety, decreases in academic performance, reduced sleep quality and poorer physical health.

One study published earlier this year in the journal Computers in Human Behavior found that more frequent smartphone use, as indicated by the number of times the screen was unlocked each day, was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety among participants. Another study, published in the same journal in 2017, looked at smartphone use among children aged between one and six years − yes, it's hard to believe, but some parents give toddlers smartphones as a form of digital pacifier. This study found that the younger the child, the more likely they were to engage in problematic or excessive smartphone use. This finding was attributed to younger children's lower levels of self-control.

Like many of the children involved, the research into this area is still in its infancy. Further studies are required to untangle whether this relationship is causal: does using such technologies cause ill effects, or are we, for example, using these technologies as an unsuccessful attempt to manage our pre-existing low moods?

As this story plays out, I believe that the wise thing to do would be to moderate technology use. I recently observed an excellent example of this in an unexpected context.

Last winter, in my capacity as a psychology professor at Zayed University and in pursuit of vitamin D, I taught one of my classes outdoors. There were not enough chairs to go around, but I was surprised at how many of the students were entirely comfortable sitting on the ground, cross-legged, with ballerina-straight spines.

Chairs have been around so long that we might not consider them to be a technology, but they are, and those of us who have relied on them from a young age might struggle to sit comfortably, self-supporting, on the ground for an extended period of time.

It turned out that, at home, many of my students often sat on the floor. Several mentioned rooms such as the majlis, in which seating is floor-based or a mixture of chairs and floor. Others mentioned occasions − communal meals, for example – in which sitting on the floor is the done thing. The familial message seems to be: embrace the chair, by all means, but don't forsake the ground.

We would be wise to adopt a similar approach to digital technology: play onscreen games, have online chats and read websites, but not to the extent that our ability to perform the equivalent tasks offline is compromised. Whatever age we happen to be, there are clear benefits to establishing certain times of the day or particular rooms in the house as zones where we can take a break from the blinking screens and constant flow of information that characterise the digital age in which we live.

Dr Justin Thomas is professor of psychology at Zayed University

The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

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Company%20Profile
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Results

2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.

3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.

4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.

5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Day 3 stumps

New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)

Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining

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Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Racecard

6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m  

6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m  

7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m  

7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m  

8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m  

8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m  

9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m   

Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures

Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)

Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy

Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy

Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy

Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia

Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
  • US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
  • Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
  • Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
  • Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
  • Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
  • The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
  • Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
  • Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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