HOW TO KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM SCREEN
A common sight these days is to see kids with their heads down, glued to gadgets lost in a virtual world missing out on the excitement and adventures of the real world. A recent study indicates a 100% increase in the screen time of kids since the lock-down started. The study also points out that this has become a worrying trend with 84% of parents surveyed expressing concern about the increasing screen time with children spending over 5 hours online. Quite shocking indeed!
As parents, while we all know how harmful excessive screen time can be for kids, we are all guilty of using it more often than not as a diversion tactic. What many of us do not realize straightaway are some of the longer-term impacts of doing so, that a growing body of research now indicates.
Tunnel vision
Excessive exposure limits kids’ ability to observe, experience, and learn from the typical everyday activities and their surroundings affecting their overall development.
Delayed Language Development
Studies have shown that kids can learn between three to five languages by the age of five by interacting with others – parents, teachers and care givers. Studies now indicate a correlation between children who spend higher percentage of time glued to screens during early elementary school years and their relative lower performance at reading & vocabulary tests.
Impact on Sleep
Another important downside of excessive screen time is the impact on their sleep. A study states that infants who are exposed to screen-time in the evening showed significantly shorter night time sleep than those who had no evening screen exposure.
“What many of us do not realize straightaway are some of the longer-term impacts of doing so, that a growing body of research now indicates. “
Does this mean that one cannot allow their child to watch the screen at all? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it is better for children younger than 18 to 24 months, to be completely off the screen, except when video chatting with family. It also recommends limiting screen time use for preschool children, ages 2 to 5, to just one hour a day.
As a parent myself, I have quite often wondered what I could do differently. Here are some options to consider
Back to Books
Reading is probably one of the best ways to keep your child off the screen. Get them books according to their interest and age, and encourage them to read. Read our other articles about inculcating reading habits among children. Read to your child as much as possible because as they say it ‘no app can replace your lap’.
Read: How to choose books for children
Be a Role model
Kids learn a lot from what they see in their surroundings. So, keep the gadget away and spend quality time doing kid friendly activity. Engage and involve the entire family.
Hobbies
Get them excited about hobbies like gardening, baking, art and crafts. This could be a great way to spend some quality time together and allow them to experiment in a safe way.
Balanced Hands-on Approach
Give them a mix of screen time and off the screen activities. This is one of the most important things that you need to do. For school going kids, you could start with a time-table for screen time exactly like you would do for their studies. Regulate time as well as content for them.
Are there other tips or suggestions that you have? We would love to hear from you on what you do to keep your kids off the screen.
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