LAHORE: A new community-led initiative, “Mind First, Screen Later”, was launched on Sunday urging parents, teachers and guardians to discourage mobile phone use among children under the age of 16.

The campaign called for a conscious shift from constant screen exposure towards activities proven to strengthen focus, creativity and critical thinking in young minds.

These views were expressed by General Cadre Doctors Association President Dr Masood Sheikh while addressing the inaugural session of the campaign held under the auspices of the Pakistan Medical Society at the City Hospital, Lahore.

Dr Sheikh said that constant notification alerts on mobiles and rapid-scroll of content cause absence of sustained focus. Time consumed on cell phones should be replaced with reading, writing, and problem-solving activities. He added that screen use in the evening was linked to poor sleep, affecting memory and classroom performance. The excessive use of mobile phones is also linked with weakened social skills, as less face-to-face interaction limits development of empathy, communication and conflict resolution.

Recent research in child development shows that excessive screen time can reduce outdoor activities directly linked to cognitive growth. Problem-solving, face-to-face conversation, reading and deep sleep are essential for cognitive development and creativity of children under 16, whose brain is still in the process of improving executive functions. Constant phone use can reduce the time spent on foundational skills like attention span and creativity.

Dr Sheikh asserted that the campaign was not a ban, but a balanced reset. He further said that for proper growth of children, parents should discourage use of personal smartphones by kids less than 16 years of age. He was of the view that basic cell phones should be used by children under 16 only for safety purposes.

He said that it was essential to ensure screen-free times for children. No phone should be used during meals, homework, and an hour before bedtime, he said.

Parents should create phone-free spaces by designating bedrooms and study areas as device-free zones. In order to involve children in healthy activities, parents should promote alternate activities like reading, outdoor play, sports, arts, and in-person discussion.

He urged parents to reduce their own phone use during family hours.

Speaking on the occasion, campaign adviser Dr Tariq Aziz said that in order to ensure a screen-free environment, school-level actions were also needed. School administration should adopt phone-free classroom policies and increase hands-on collaborative learning.

“Children under 16 are still building the neural architecture for focus, memory, and independent thoughts. Every hour taken back from the screen is an hour given to a stronger mind,” said Dr Aziz. He added that excessive mobile phone use during formative years was displacing core intellectual habits.

Dr Munir Ghauri said that the initiative aims to promote healthy habits to safeguard childhood development in the digital age. In order to reduce the ill effects of cell phone use, 30 minutes of phone time should be used daily for reading, walking or a board game. Parents should create a ‘phone parking lot’, a basket at home where all family phones rest during dinner and study hours, he suggested.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2026