Limiting the use of technology by the children is the biggest challenge of the 21st-century parenting. Hardly do you find a child with zero skills on technology and as much as screen time should be regulated for kids, it’s one juggle that has left the parenting world completely divided. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children between the ages of two to five should be limited to a strict one-hour screen time per day. Ideally parents ought to tag along on the screen time with their children, a task that clearly robs their time for other chores or errands.
Statistics done on children and technology shows that 42% of children under the age of 8 years has their technology gadgets and spend more than two hours on screen media daily. This is actually a massive increase from the previous research that showed 7 % and has made screen time a complex issue to handle.
One thing is certain though, technology is here to stay since the world is slowly becoming more digitally driven and it’s about time we learned how to live with it. In a more positive angle technology empowers kids to learn and engage in more creative ways despite their ages, the tech-savvy kids are always better prepared for any predominant workforce.
So as we try to find our way around it, why not worry less about too much screen time or inappropriate content viewing and concentrate on creating a healthy development through it.
How to set ground rules on technology harmony for healthy development consumption
- Aim at striking a balance
You need sustainable working relationship with technologies to hack it, hence the need for a balance intuitive concept. There should be adequate screen time, but not at the expense of the physical activities. Striking a balance has no specific recipe but can easily settle in if done on a consistent routine. In general, the concentration should be on striking a general balance without a bizarre feeling of many harmful effects it has on the children, the moment you reap that you will be confidently within the technology control zone.
Always evaluate the quality of their digital access interaction and make sure it’s the appropriate content in accordance to their age. Not all screen time is advisable, some maybe thought-provoking instead of interactive and passive. Choose to implement some privacy settings for a better restriction on what they can watch and also set strict screen time limits which must be adhered to despite how interacting or entertaining the moment is.
Children’s technology prowess improves with time and so does their involvement. Since predicting the future of the digital world is almost impossible, you should be physically present through their technology usage for a better control.
- Be a Role Model
Children learn best from what they see than what they are told. When you spend more hours on your phone surfing the internet and binge watching your favorite movies, you offer your children an opportunity to run with the attention deprived moment.
Research on Google shows there is a growing concern over technology completely taking over our lives and with many newly introduced phone features; it is only a matter of time before the whole world is completely buried into tech. While digital tools are presumed to make life a little easier, you should be able to curb excessive gadget usage and concentrated more on mind full interactive sessions. Set boundaries between work and family time to keep you plugged into your children’s lives.
Know when it’s really necessary to check into your gadget otherwise respect your bonding time without deviating. Practice more of what you preach to them, emulate the habits you want them to live by and the common sense rule will naturally settle in.
- Make adopting technology a family affair
The same way you involve your entire family on your daily planning and decision-making, so should you make it a habit of discussing your tech involvements, the dos and don’ts. Be involved with their tech experience, be it playing games or watching moving, know the content and discuss it. This will help you vet their intake by monitoring, controlling, and also offering guidance on the right things to use the gadget for. Tailor the approach you give each child as their interests may differ depending on age and personality.
Like any other life activity, tech life has its share of the good and bad but mostly the bad stems from the extreme and abuse use of the technologies. You may choose to keep your kids completely out of tech with the aim of protecting them but doing so may also deprive them of a lot.
Alternatively why not strive on shielding them from the bad but also allow room for soaking up all the good that tech has to offer. Tech in a child’s life offers:
- Creativity and freedom of expression
Kids are known to have big imaginations beyond control and while at some point all they had to expertise their creativity were crayons and blank papers, now they have computers, tablets and many others to help bring their ideas to reality. It is much easier now for a child to come up with a 3D animation , and print it out on a physical form unlike before when all they could do was draw it on a piece of paper.
The amount of creativity poured out by the kids on the tech platforms are so grant, they could be the prototype to great business.
- Better relationship and socialization skills
This is not a scare tactic but the chances of bonding with other kids over technology currently outweigh the physical meeting on play dates. The likes of social media and video games have become a hobby and excites just as much as sport or bike riding used to, the opportunity is twofold. The same way they would connect with their friends over outdoor games, so do they do now over video calls, chat boxes, and computer games. An early childhood exposure may be a networking plug for them in the future.
- Independence and empowerment
Technology gives room for self-discovery and solution finding. Being able to research and fix your own problem without seeking physical help sounds so powerful. It gives you the zeal to keep pushing for advanced skills and achievements.
- Problem solving
With technology comes freedom to explore and be independent. Kids can easily set own targets and strive to achieve them out of the enthusiasm and curiosity they obtain from exploring technology. Being passionate about beating hurdles helps them establish a stronger sense of perseverance and gain encouragement in return. Asides their creative doings they could also solve their homework issues using tech.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit
Technology is the beginning of building a budding entrepreneur due to its numerous motivational push. Achievements may not be typical, but a little exposure is enough motivation for a future success story. Technology touches on virtually everything and that is an awesome entrepreneurial prospect that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
- Enhanced Learning
Ever heard of the word necessity is the mother of invention well, skills such as the aforementioned creativity can enormously make one a better learner. Whatever you associate with is literally your first contact with grasping concepts, the introduction of tech to society has really opened the learning floodgate.
Most of the things read theoretically in books are now visually available on the computer for them experience the reality during learning which really shapes their understanding. Also, technology offers endless opportunities on everything not to talk about time management that is majorly executed.
In conclusion
There is so much more to consider when it comes to kids and technology. So before you capitalize on its bad side and choose to deprive your kids of its pleasure remember, technology enhances the hand-eye coordination and improves the critical thinking state of a child. That is just a tip of the iceberg, and it would be meaningless depriving them of such opportunities, why not control instead.