Can you imagine your family’s life without social media or technology? It’s almost impossible, as social media and technology have permeated every area of our lives.
Your kids are growing older, and it’s important to create healthy screen habits by finding a happy medium between your child’s needs and parental control.
“Social media and technology are now inescapable, so rather than eliminating their existence in children, let’s educate the correct interaction” - Moderation
It’s recommended that toddlers have little to no interaction with screens as they are at a very influential stage in their development. We all need rest days, though and distracting your children with the tv gives us a well-deserved break, which is perfectly normal. Plus, there are many educational programs directed at children’s learning which are actually beneficial to their development. Research has shown, however, that excessive screen time can delay speech development, a key form of communication we all use. Delayed development like this could affect children as they grow up, having problems with social interaction.
The kids are now at school, and you’ll begin to notice the influence their friends and this new environment have on them. Whilst we still have complete control, we should grab this opportunity to help them create a good relationship with technology. Kids who spend more time looking at screens are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression because excessive screen time interferes with their necessary social interactions.
The start of High School, and before you’ve even shut the door, the video game headset is on, or they are texting their friends they spent all day with. This is because they are now being introduced to more opportunities to engage with different forms of technology. Even so, they are still young and need guidance from their parents.
This strive for independence continues as they become teenagers. Teens might feel they are ready for decision-making, but their brain is still not fully developed and capable. Negotiating and coming to a compromise between parental control and teen independence is often a useful way to give them more freedom.
What You Deserve to Know about Your Child’s Screen Time
Hiding behind a screen is easy; you can say what you want and not deal with or see the consequences face to face. Cyberbullying brings the possibility of anonymity and an inescapable environment.
Children are socially and emotionally developing, and because of this, they are often vulnerable to peer pressure, meaning they are more likely to get involved because they don’t want to be left out or say ‘no’. Our kids aren’t mature enough to understand the huge impact a post or a message can have on others. So by monitoring our child’s activities, we can be aware of what they are doing whilst not getting too heavily involved.
Research has shown that violence in video games has been shown to enhances aggression in children that struggle with emotional expression. Even small exposure to violence can affect a developing brain, potentially causing long-lasting and damaging effects. This doesn’t mean the violence will necessarily be replicated by children but instead affect their emotional control, which could lead to an outburst of rage and aggression.
Internet and Gaming Disorders are now classified as diseases that are causing social and development problems in children. These forms of technology can stimulate the same reward centres in the brain as substance abuse which can lead to an addiction. Whether you believe technology addiction is real, the fact of the matter is that it’s getting dangerously close, and with screens being used in more and more ways, this problem is only going to grow.
We use screen time as a form of relaxation and communication, which is fine for adults. Children’s minds are still so delicate, so it’s important we allow them to recognise the beneficial aspects while avoiding infringement on their important developmental tasks, such as face-to-face interactions and getting the correct quantity of sleep.
Becoming more involved in your children’s technology habits can be simpler than you think. Screen time analytics can be easily accessed on most devices and give you a breakdown of the time spent and the apps it has been spent on. Screen time limits can also be set to create a more controlled environment and make sure that both you and your family are allowing time for other activities.