I would like to start a petition to change the nomenclature from SCREENtime to SCREAMtime because this is what most parents must end up doing to get their kids off the screen. I know I do. And therein lies the biggest hypocrisy in a parent’s life. Half the waking day is spent on screens while we preach our kids to get off the screen. It’s a beautiful paradox, but the challenge is in explaining to your kid that your livelihood depends on the device and hers/his don’t. Welcome to my world of this wonderful contradiction.

As a parent navigating the digital landscape, I find myself constantly grappling with the screentime conundrum. The struggle is real, and it's a battle fought on multiple fronts – from managing our children's screen time to addressing our own digital dependencies.

Recent developments across the globe highlight the growing concern over excessive screen exposure. France has introduced a law banning smartphones and other electronic devices in schools for students up to age 15.  Meanwhile, Sweden has gone a step further, recommending zero screen time for children under two years old. And most recently Australia has banned social media usage for kids below the age of 16 (but this is a whole different debate, there is an article on this, I’ll be publishing soon). With passing years, I assume more countries will take a strong stand when it comes to screentime and the potential negative impacts of early and excessive screen exposure on child development.

But I would like to add that as adults, especially parents, we have to take responsibility of this phenomenon. In our unbridled excitement to see how a child reacts to a new toy, we unwittingly handover a device to them at an age when they should be exploring the physical world and not the virtual one. 

It starts with a few minutes, gradually the duration on the devices increases. Progressively it becomes a trusted buddy while eating, a soothing partner during tantrums, a boredom killer. They learn to sneak in these devices from right under your noses. Now, no longer do we measure the time on the screen in minutes but hours. The kids are dependent on it, whiling away their time in this passive activity, till the parent realises that they are staring at an addiction

The magnetic pull of screens is undeniable. I occasionally find myself stranded on social media apps for hours, searching for meaning. I have consciously deleted the app, downloading it only over the weekend to catch up on things. The convenience of having global information at our fingertips is powerful and rank addictive.

For children, the risk of addiction is even more pronounced. Their developing brains are particularly susceptible to the stimulating effects of digital content. My daughter spends about 8 hours in school followed by 3 hours of gymnastics, when she is back home, late evening, she needs her hit - screentime. I get it, because after a long day you just need to unwind, diving in some mindless entertainment. But the problem is, my daughter just doesn’t realise when to stop, her brain cannot comprehend the passage of time, ultimately draining her body battery to red.

When I was growing up there was ample time for outside activities, connecting with the real world, with real people. But today for our youngest generation the tug-o-war is between a lived experience and borrowed experience. And I feel the former is losing its grip on the reality of these children, the virtual takeover is occurring fast. The engagement power of screens is unimaginable:

• Want to have a quality time with your loved ones? Shove the phone into the kids hand.
• Want to have a peaceful meal? Light up that screen 
• Kid screaming in the backseat? Unlock that phone

The beautiful contradiction of technology - it’s a boon and a bane.

But the idea here is not to curse technology, you have to live with it and you cannot deprive your children of it, especially if you are stuck on it all day. The answer is regimenting time on screen. In the end, perhaps the goal isn't to eliminate SCREAMtime entirely, but to transform it into meaningful, moderated, and managed screen time that enhances rather than detracts from our family life. It's a challenging journey, but one that's crucial for raising well-adjusted children in our digital world.

In the next article I will talk about what I do to manage screentime for my daughter and distract her mind from the screen.