In my previous article I insinuated that we adults, parents and other family members are at fault of introducing the screen to a child in the house. And I understand why a lot of us must be doing it either, the screen is the perfect pet or a digital babysitter that allows the parent some peace and quiet when they really need it.
Every time a new technology takes over our regular life, we usually think of the negative effects it could have on us and our first instinct is to avoid it. Screentime is unavoidable, but definitely manageable.
There is no way you can convince your kid to set aside the screen because it is “bad” for them, especially when they can see you on your device all day long (tough luck for those parents who WFH). I have reached a point in my life where I know I cannot impose undeniable restrictions on screentime but what I can do regiment the screentime.
ACCEPTANCE
As a parent the sooner we accept the fact that screens are an inescapable entity the better it is for us to plan ahead. Today’s new age schools have embraced digital teaching styles both in the class as well as at home. We see the use of smart TVs in classrooms and teachers giving homework on digital apps to be worked upon using a screen (smartphone, tab, laptop). We can’t change this and we need to accept that this is the way forward. So no matter how much restrictions you put on your child, he/she is going to get exposed to a screen whether you like it or not.
DELAY SCREEN INTRODUCTION
Screens are inevitable and it is only going to get worse (depends on how you look at it, no pun intended). I remember that we had not introduced out daughter to the screen for a good 15-16 months. But because both my wife and I work, it was too much load on my parents and the house help to manage her throughout the day and hence the screen was introduced. But with more screentime, comes more rules. Establish it clearly that screentime needs to be timed, weather it’s 20 mins to half hour or 1 hour. The concept of timing needs to be introduced as early as possible.
SET A TIME TO WATCH
It’s a tough task to convince your toddler as to why you, an adult, needs to be on the screen more versus them.
SCREENTIME PRODUCTIVITY
Being on the screen doesn’t always mean wasted hours. It is a good idea to discuss with your child what are they interested in watching and then curating it for them. Of course, you cannot expect them to watch something knowledgeable all the time, the kids want to be entertained and not always learn.
To conclude this piece, I came across an interesting ad of a new type of phone - Take a look
Is this the solution we need to curb screentime? To de-tech or devolve our phones? Will that help the cause or create more chaos? At this point I don’t know what the answer is but I sure wouldn’t mind trying it out one day.
