JEDDAH: The latest technology and modern ways of living help us in many ways but there are also big drawbacks to this latest technology and smartphones.
According to experts and doctors, the main victims of the latest technology are children.
Seven-year-old Raed bin Abddat is addicted to videogames on his mobile to the point where his eyesight deteriorated so much in two months that if it was not taken care of he could have become blind.
Raed’s mother, Shazia Khan, told Arab News that it happened because Raed spent hours sitting with his mobile and PC playing videogames. Even if his parents wanted him to stop he fought back and secretly used his computer or mobile, and due to this, the power of his eyes became +3, which his doctor said is the last stage and after that he would become blind if it was not taken care of.
Another child, Rayana Naeem, also faced the same problem when the doctor strictly told her younger sister Tyba Naeem to keep her away from computers, games and mobile phone screens otherwise she could lose her eyesight. Her eyesight is affected but can be saved from further loss.
Dr. Adnan Khan, from one of the clinics, said that because of the latest technology children are badly affected. A number of children have come to his clinic with eyesight problems due to sitting for hours in front of TV, computer screens or mobiles.
Children should be encouraged to exercise in the open air instead of sitting glued to their tablets. These devices have various consequences on a child’s life, he explained.
He said the screen of a mobile and computer are very harmful to eyesight, especially when children continually stare at it to play games. He also said this addiction not only affects eyesight but also their health. According to the doctor, the number of children with weak eyesight is increasing these days.
Sociologists working for social and charity centers have called on parents not to let their children spend too much time on smartphones and tablets.
A survey done by Saudi social experts also revealed that the frequent use of latest technology by children is destroying not only their health but also affecting their behavior, making them lazy, weakening their imaginative thinking abilities and decreasing concentration levels.
According to the survey, children are becoming addicted to technology, which directly affects their behavior. Fifty-nine percent of children who use smartphones, tablets or computers showed less interest in other activities; 37 percent of children who use smartphones or tablets to play video games prefer being alone or don’t like to go out and mingle with people; and 10 percent of children, due to excessive focus on games, are unable to pay proper attention to their studies.
Children spending four to five hours a day on videogames on tablets become aggressive if they aren’t allowed to play. According to the survey, children are spending five hours or more on tablets and video games than they spent five years ago.
According to the survey, in almost 40 percent of homes in the Kingdom children are playing video games every day. Almost 3 million video games are sold annually in the Kingdom, and a child in the Kingdom spends nearly SR1,500 on video games.
In addition, there are 19.6 million Internet users in the Kingdom. Almost 72.8 percent of the people here use smartphones, when SR111 billion was spent in the Kingdom for buying smartphones and the latest technology.
Modern technology takes a heavy toll on children
Modern technology takes a heavy toll on children
Enduring legacy of Riyadh’s Al-Masani dam
RIYADH: Al-Masani, a historic settlement south of Riyadh, lies along Wadi Hanifah, whose waters branch west and east to irrigate palm groves and agricultural lands with centuries-old roots.
The area is also fed by Wadi Namar, which meets with Wadi Hanifah at Al-Masani's northern edge, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
To the south, Wadi Hanifah joins Wadi Al-Wutar, also known as Al-Batha, forming a 3-km stretch.
Historians trace the name “Al-Masani” to “masani al-ma” (water conduits), the plural of “sana,’” referring to irrigation channels that once supplied palm orchards.
The settlement’s antiquity is supported by accounts from Al-Ḥasan Al-Hamdani, the 10th-century Yemeni scholar, who identified it as “the settlement of Dhur bin Razzah from Bakr bin Wa’il tribe.”
The geographer Yaqut Al-Hamawi later classified Al-Masani among communities that lay outside Khalid bin Al-Waleed’s treaty with Bani Hanifah in the early second decade of the Islamic calendar.
British historian J. G. Lorimer described the settlement as being located on both banks of the valley, where groundwater lies close to the surface. He noted that the area supported common fruit varieties, grain crops, and about 10,000 date palms, with Al-Masani’s gardens adjoining those of Manfuhah.
Among the site’s most significant archaeological features is a stone dam spanning Wadi Hanifah, believed to be about 700 years old. Locally known as Al-Arras, after the cylindrical stones embedded in its structure, the dam stands about 4 meters high, 3 meters thick, and stretches nearly 150 meters across the valley.
The dam has undergone several restoration campaigns, including major renovations during the reign of King Abdulaziz in 1904.
Today, the surrounding area includes a recreational zone featuring a lake about 2-meters deep and covering 10,000 sq m, alongside 4.5 km of walking trails, seating areas and extensive native vegetation, including mature date palms.
Riyadh history scholar Dr. Rashid Al-Asaker said: “Al-Masani represents an ancient community settled by Bani Hanifah, Dhur bin Razzah, and additional tribes. It became a favored getaway for rulers Turki bin Abdullah, Faisal bin Turki, Abdulrahman bin Faisal, and King Abdulaziz— may God grant them mercy —drawn by its fruit orchards and vegetable cultivation.
“They maintained waqf palm estates yielding diverse date harvests. The dam occupies the southern sector.”
According to Al-Asaker, British explorer John Philby documented King Abdulaziz’s direct involvement with residents during the dam’s reconstruction in 1904.
Today, Al-Masani lies south of the Southern Ring Road near Al-Shifa neighborhood. Once an independent village, it has since been absorbed into Riyadh’s urban expansion, becoming part of the modern city while retaining its historical significance.
