How Do I Make My Child’s Screen Time Less?
A Practical Parenting Guide
As we all know that in the today's digital age, children are spending a lot time in front of screens. It may be watching TV, video games, tablets, laptops as usual mobile phones. While the Technology makes the education more easy, but it harms the children negatively. And excessive use if mobiles is becoming a common concern among most of the parents.
In the article we will discuss about the practical techniques or strategies to manage the bad habits with screens and how can we bring a healthier balance among these habits of a kid as a parent.
Understanding the Effects of Excessive Screen Time
Now let's start with the knowledge how excessive use of mobile phones affect the behavior of child whether it's mentally and physically.
- Physical Effect: The excessive use of screens may cause eye strain, headache and poor body posture. It may disrupt the healthy sleeping habits. While bedtime it's cause serious impact on sleeping patterns.
- Mental and Emotional Effect: Using too much of mobile phones may decrease the attention capability. It may increase irritation in behavior of children and can cause anxiety. It also reduce the ability of creativity and critical thinking.
- Social Impact: We are social animals and excessive use of the gadgets keep us far from the real world. We have less interaction with society. It may reduce the communication and social development skills.
Set Clear And Consistent Screen Time Limits
You need to setup the clear boundaries of utilising the screen time for your child. You need to establish rules for when and how your child will use screens.
- Create Age Appropriate Limits: Screen time should be only for one hour per day for younger children. It mainly focus on educational content. For older children you can increase the limit upto two hours per day.
- Set Time Slots: Allow your children to use phones during a specific timing like after completing homework. Avoid the use during meals or before bedtime.
- Enforce Consequences: As a parent you need to be consistent with your rules. You have to be strict in the subject of matter. If they overuse the exceed the time limits, reduce the screen time for the next day.
Encourage Alternative Activities
You need to provide engaging activities to reduce the screen time successfully. Engage them in screen free activities that include creativity, physical movement, social interaction or fun.
- Outdoor Activities: Encouraging the children for games is a good idea to reduce screen time for children. Bicycle riding, playing and enjoying nature must be included. It also promotes the physical health and enhancement of their mood and behaviours.
- Creative Hobbies: Make them busy in the creative Hobbies like drawing, painting, writing or crafting. Do them without using the screens. It will enhance their creativity.
- Reading: Develop a habit of reading in your child our of the academic syllabus. It may be comic books, moral or ethical value books, our ancient history, facts, sci-fi concepts whatever in they interested. It improves literacy in them.
Be a Role Model
First of all ask yourself “how much time do you use the mobiles?” They also learn from you. They follow you. Yes, it's correct.
If you have a bad habits of watching TV consistently, your child must follow you. You need to become a role model for reducing screen time of your children.
- Limit your own Screen Time: Show your child that you are not obsessed with mobile screens. You need to engage your family in the activities with no screens like playing board games, cards, going for walks or cooking activities.
- Prioritise Family Time: You have to interest with your child instead of using the phones or tablets. Engage in family conversations, storytellings or some emotional talks.
Create Screen Free Zones:
It may be very helpful to reduce screen times to create screen free zones in your sweet home.
- No screen free in bedrooms
- Screen free meals together
- No screens while playing or interacting with family
Use Technology Wisely
Use the technology in a productive and controlled way to reduce screen time. It not good to vasnish the tech completely from your child's life. Because the today's environment doesn't allow it. But a wise use of tech may be a good idea to enhance the learning process of your child.
You too use the technology in reducing the screen time of your child.
- Set Parental Controls: If you have given a personal device to your child them must use parental control apps, easily available on google play store. You can restrict the access of irrelevant content or use of mobile phones by the parental control apps. You can limit their screen time uses.
- Educational Content: When you allowed your children to use screens, then must ensure that they are consuming the educational content instead of somthing irrelevant or vulgar. Encourage them to watch educational videos or some mind games.
- Use Screen Breaks: You can set reminders for your child to take regular breaks from using the screens. They are inbuilt feature of parental control apps.
Plan Tech Free Family Time
Plan some activities or family time to reduce screen time by organising tech free family activities.
- Game Nights: Plan some board games or card games or puzzles that organise the whole family together. Its must be a fun time without any Technology. It allows to connect the children with their elders.
- Weekend Outings: You have to plan some outside activities like hiking, picnics or visit to local attractions like malls and cafes. It creates memories and obviously fulfill our main purpose of reducing screen time.
Communicate the Importance of Balance
Sometimes communication is a very good idea to encourage, to inspire, to motivate your child and you guide him for not doing the things which are not beneficial for him. You can guide your child about health concern and importance of balance between your real and non real world hobbies.
