5 Tips to reduce screening time on Children:

 

                                                   

                               “To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more”

                                                                                     -World Health Organization (WHO)

                                                                                        (2019)

              The children of the modern age has become very technological.All the latest technologies are available to them in their fingertip right from the birth.Babies and children are much fascinated about the wonders played in the screen and likes to spend most of their time infront of that.We would have seen most of the children are addicted to I-pads and tablets. 

               Screening on I-Pads and Tablets has become a habit for children more than just entertainment.But we as a parent also think who is responsible for these changes in children.Remember the days when we had difficult times managing the children and practised the habit of introducing the Tabs infront of a 1 year old.I have seen many children sitting in their strollers/at the back of car seats and crying.The mother would soon place a Tab/I-pad to the child and the child gets happy thereby and stops crying. Does this practise leads to a positive effect or negative effect?.  

             It is for sure,will create more negative impact on the child’s life and their development as well.It affects the children wellbeing by creating stress and anxiety in their minds.The technololgy keeps the child away from the family and social relationships.It also creates many health problems like Eye strain,Headaches and Lack of sleep in little ones.So here are some easy tips to protect our children from these harmful effects.

1).Set a Limited Screening Time: 

            WHO prefer children aged  2 years to spend maximum of 1 hour in screening .For infants below 1 year screen time is not allowed at all.It is the parents who introduced the modern widgets in a child’s life.So it’s the responsibility of parents to set some limitations.Ask your child to sit in front of the screen for a limited time.

           We would have seen children spending their whole weekend holidays in front of  a Tab or I-pad.Parents also prefer the child to watch it  to avoid disturbing them and to settle the quarrel in between the siblings.But sometimes in cases of quarrel between siblings for a single Tab,the parents are even ready to spend more money to buy extra Tab/I pad for another child separately.

          But the children spending their time in front of screens for hours are prone to get many negative impacts.so if you are the parent who is providing your children with the Tab,then also try to set some time limitation from the beginning stages.It wont sound to be a serious matter to the child of limiting the time when its done from the early stages. 

          Being supportive with the child rather than lying rules over the child would be much beneficial.Encouraging them to turn off the screen at a specific time by themselves can be more effective. 

2). Parents limiting their own screentime:

                                             “Children are the Mirror image of  their parents”

             Each and every action that a parent do is noted by the child from the birth and it follows their footsteps.The children shadow their parents on every acts.The child doesn’t know anyone else except its parent and take their parents as a Role model.So every action done by you has an impact on the children.

             The parents wants to be a good role model for the children.I have seen some parents who are busy with their phones, laptops at a corner and the children in another corner would be busy with their I-pads and Tabs.In such a situation it is the parent who has influenced the child to watch the modern gadgets and get indulge into that.If a parent is ready to sacrifice their screening time for the sake of the children, then the child could change its behaviour without any effort.   

3).Co-Participation of parents with children in screening:

 

             You as a parent can co-participate with the child while the child gets busy with the screen.You can participate with the child and discuss about the content the child is watching.This makes the child not to get indulged into the screen forgetting the surrounding.

             It also helps the children to have a better understanding of the content they are watching and the content that is suitable for their age.Thereby the child also gets to know about the essential child contents and the also develop its language skills and conversation skills.

4).Encourage physical activities:

 

         Parents can balance the child’s  day not only by providing them with gadgets but also a parent can find a better way by encouraging physical activities.You can encourage children to do any household chores like tidying up their room,arranging their clothes, study materials and Toys.

         The child should understand that it is not only the duty of a mom/dad to do the household chores.It is the responsibility of each and everyone in the home to have a tidy living place.Also encourage them to do some Physical exercises and also gardening .Encouraging your children to do some physical activities also prevents the children from sitting at a same place  for hours and staring at the screens.

5).Encourage indoor/outdoor games:

              Children should be introduced to all kinds of indoor and outdoor games.Staying indoor doesn’t mean that the Tabs/I-pads are the only solution for their leisure time.Teach your children to play several indoor games like painting,chess,carrom boards etc.,Those games are not only for leisure but also develops the child’s Creativity,concentration skills  and decision skills.The child can also spend some valuable time in their house’s  backyard garden or in the communal garden.

       

     The child can enjoy scooter riding,running or even by enjoying the beauty of  nature like the trees and flowers.You can also take the child to a nearby park with family friends and relatives, thus supporting the child to be peaceful physically and mentally.

              Watching screens has become a daily part of a child’s life and it is no wonder to see a child sitting with gadgets in this modern age.But protecting our children from the hazards is in our hands.All the changes cant be made overnight and we want to proceed with these changes  gradually.As "Too much of anything is good for nothing",we must be very careful of our children and set some smooth controls to limit their screening times and as well as ours.