Society knew the world had changed drastically when two-year-olds are seen casually playing Minecraft on their iPads, yet they don’t know how to tie their own shoes. As the world heads towards technology, it becomes difficult for children to avoid the screens. This is especially true when COVID-19 has been rampant and certain places are in lockdown.

Negative Impacts of Technology on Children

A phone is closer to a child than they are with their own family members and friends. Studies indicate that children today spend more than ten hours a day in front of a screen. This leads to numerous issues that parents are concerned about when it comes to their child’s growth.

Devoting an excessive amount of time on technology can lead to increased chances of short attention span, depression, and obesity. In addition, a child may have trouble falling asleep due to blue light radiating from their device. Blue light gradually diminishes the sleeping hormone, melatonin, over time. Conversely, there is also the aspect of a lack of experience with interacting with other people in a social environment.

Solutions

Balance

Technology can cause undesirable effects on children; however, it can be managed with the right approach. Parents can set limits on how long their children can spend time on their phones. A lot of the time, if a child is unhappy or bored without access to the internet, it is a sign of unhealthy tech usage. That is the time to immerse them into other activities that do not involve their devices. This includes frequent trips to the library, learning how to play an instrument, or playing board games.

In this way, the child can find happiness in activities that they enjoy, and it doesn’t include watching numerous youtube videos all night. Piano lessons for kids, or lessons on any other instrument, can give kids a chance to learn something new and grow from the experience. It will teach them to memorize something and achieve their desired goal—even though it is hard.

Provide Value

The time that a child spends on their devices should not only entertain them but also provide value towards their growth as individuals. Studies have shown that parents tend to force their children to watch educational videos to improve their learning. Yet, it is actually stunting their growth and does not provide anything valuable to their studies. A way to help with a child’s growth is to be directly involved.

Often, when a parent is busy, they hand over a device to their child to “pacify” them. Therefore, when a child has times where they are in distress, the child turns to their iPad for assistance. Instead of an iPad, provide the child toys to play with or use interactive books that can be nourishing for their brain development.

Keeping Screens Out of the Bedroom

When a device is consistently within a child’s sight, it ends up being the first thing they turn towards. Screens should not be used within their bedroom. As technology can be quite addictive, quality sleep is a priority when it comes to their health. In addition, this leads to limiting screen time to more significant activities. The mornings can be used to spend time with family, going to school, or completing homework assignments. The best time to have the devices is in the afternoon.

Educating a Child On the Internet

As much as the internet can be an entertaining place to be, some plausible dangers exist that children need to be educated on. In this way, they can avoid these dangers. The older a child gets, the more likely they are going to want social media in their lives. Children of all ages should be reminded frequently that their self worth is not reliant on the number of likes or shares they have on their page. Parents should follow their children on social media to monitor what types of pictures or information they are posting about themselves. In addition, children should always be skeptical about what is being said on the internet and fact check it.

Take Action

“Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master” (Christian Louis Lange). Attempting to prevent technology from consuming the lives of children is not the easiest task to accomplish. However, by creating a balance between their devices and their real life, they can spend more time on the activities they love. This simultaneously provides value to a child’s life as they develop their own passions and goals. In addition, educating a child on how to safely navigate the internet, provides them critical thinking skills and prominent self-worth. All that’s left now is to sit down and have a conversation with the family on screen consumption.