With my daughter consuming more time on the screen, I worry that she is getting hooked.
I ignored the vastly increasing time that she spends on her phone and laptop. It gave me more time to focus on work (work from home abilities) and household chores. Plus, it kept her quiet. When I did notice her screen time was increasing, I attempted to impose rules (this is where it got complicated), and it was an uphill battle.
“It’s my life,” she said — her life. My old school behavior was ready to take over, but I recognized that this generation of children doesn’t respond to a beating. I listened to her list the reasons why her devices are her life. Like any child, the grounds for her lifeline were beyond laughable. The thoughts were echoing in my brain, but I listened.
It’s over a year into the pandemic, and parents watch their children become preoccupied with digital life. They are relaxed with screen time privileges to avoid restless and frustrated children. Children turn to these devices because there are no alternative activities. In addition, most children are less attentive during online classes. Instead, they watched YouTube or interact with friends through online games. Recent studies show that the prolonged feeling of a normal life makes it harder for children to operate offline. Eventually, this can lead to increase anxiety, depression, learning disabilities and disrupts cognitive behavior.
How can we manage our children’s screen time?
I introduced a few tips that I found online into our daily routine. Once it becomes a practice (difficult at the start), consistency can help us avoid any negative mental outcome. Here are three tips that can help you manage your child’s screen time (Childmind Institute):
Screen Time Assessment.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Is my child sleeping enough and eating a somewhat balanced diet?
- Are they getting some form of exercise every day?
- Are they spending some quality time with family?
- Do they use some screen time to keep in touch with friends?
- Are they invested in school and keeping up with homework?
If most of the answers are yes, you should not be alarmed.
Set Healthy Boundaries.
We should understand their needs and listen to their concerns — children are brilliant. I downloaded an app called Family Link (Google) that monitors online activities, set bedtime and daily limits. Parents should explain the purpose of this structured screen time and provide small incentives. My daughter receives bonus time when she completes her assignments on time or completes her chores. Be compassionate. They are also struggling in the pandemic — no after-school activities or unable to play with friends.
Be Consistent.
The transformation is not easy for parents who have busy schedules and single parents. With the app, you can remotely manage and monitor their screen time. It alerts you when they are active online and locks the device at specific times. You will receive a burst of anger and frustration from the children (the trying times). Still, you can tolerate the irritation for a few days. To be consistent, ensure that the screen time works around your time to work, exercise, or taking care of yourself.
It is challenging for us, but we can’t neglect the frustration of our children. Listen to them; maybe it’s not screen time but the pandemic itself. We can only understand their needs and stress levels if we communicate with them.
