Doctors warn against cell phone use while doing something else

Children may think they’re multitasking when they are texting or using their cell phones and moving, such as riding a bicycle or crossing the street after school. But in reality, they’re really just shifting focus quickly from one task to another. And that’s where problems can crop up.

“It’s only a split second to catastrophe,” says Edward Barksdale, MD, chief, Pediatric General Surgery and director, Rainbow Trauma Center. “The number of injuries and deaths that result from texting or cell phone use while walking, biking, in-line skating or driving are growing.

“If you’re trying to watch where you’re going while bicycling and texting, you’d better be focusing on the right task at the right time,” he warns.

Here are some rules that parents and children should understand and agree to:

• Don’t text or use cell phones while moving — that includes walking, riding a bike, skateboarding and so forth.
• Don’t text or make cell phone calls while driving. If the phone rings, the driver should hand it to a passenger or pull over before answering. Better yet, turn the phone off for the trip.

Experts urge parents to be good role models. When you drive with your children, watch the road. Make your life less harried in other ways, too. “When with your children, really focus on them, not on your work, your BlackBerry, your e-mail or your cell phone. “Kids need to be able to learn to focus on the person they’re with, on the world around them. That kind of focus enables them to be great in school, in athletics and to be a great friend,” Dr. Barksdale says. “Setting good boundaries and deadlines, such as everybody taking an hour out to concentrate on homework with no cell phones, no answering the phone, no TV and no computers, is a really great skill for children to learn.”