TVs, computers, cell-phones, tablets, video-games, connected watches, today screens are everywhere and let’s be honest, most of us cannot live without them anymore.
Today we all spend a lot of time on our different screens. Whether at home or at work, for professional or personal reasons, most of us spend between 4 hour and 8 hours a day in front of our screens.
According to The Washingtonpost, the average time kids spend watching online videos has doubled in 4 years.
This situation, therefore, prompts me to ask myself the following questions: how did we do before to do everything we did when we did not have so many screens around us? How did our parents do?
And the answer that comes to mind is that times have changed. Technology has developed strongly and our societies are increasingly built around this technology.
This, therefore, means that we have to live with our time. And screens, whether they are good or bad for us, for our evolution, or for our health in general, are now part of our time.
However, if we all agree that screens are now part of our lives and we can’t live without them, it may be different with our children. I myself have 4 children. And I see how much time they spend in front of their screens. I try to interest them in other things so that they reduce their time in front of the screens but it is stronger than them.
If you are in the same situation as me, and you have the impression that your children also spend too much time in front of their screens, whether it is playing video games, surfing the Internet, checking their social networks, etc. in this article we will see some ways to help your children reduce their screen time.
When it comes to screen time, parents have a few decisions to make. If you’re a parent, one thing that’s always important is the age and maturity of your child. Here’s how you can determine the age of your child and limit their screen time.
How to limit screen time for our kids begins with the basics. The first question is how old is the child? This may seem obvious, but you should never make assumptions on how young or old your child really is. Children mature at different rates than adults, so if your child is old enough to watch television, they are probably old enough to have a television in their bedroom.
When you have an idea of how old your child is, the next step is to figure out what types of television programming your child watches and how much time they spend watching television. The best way to limit screen time for our kids is to block out certain times of the day so that they only watch what they want to watch.
If you don’t have enough time to monitor the programs your children are watching on TV, you can buy them a DVD player or a game system that allows you to block out specific hours of time each day.
While you won’t be able to control what shows they watch, you can set the times of day they watch them and you can block out specific hours in which you would like them to do other activities.
If you don’t want to block out certain times of the day, you can still limit the amount of time that you let your child watch television. You can block out certain times during the day for certain programs or shows, such as breakfast and lunch so that your child doesn’t watch the television during these hours.
Why is reducing screens time important?
When parents have no idea what programs their children are watching on screens, it can have huge consequences for their children. For example, they can be faced with all types of problems, such as:
- Sleep problems
- Being exposed to sexual content
- Spending fewer quality times with their friends and their family
- Having lower grades in school and other problems in relation to their education
- Being exposed to violence and non-appropriated images
- Not enough outdoor or physical activity
- They can get more and more nervous
- They can get contacted by sexual predators on social media
- They can gain weight and become obese
- They may have a different opinion of themselves and of society
- They can easily be influenced by what they see on screens and by others
- They may have eye problems
- Etc…
One way to limit screen time for your kids is to schedule them to play indoor or outdoor games instead of watching television. There are parents who find it difficult to do this because it’s a lot harder to be consistent with setting up their children to avoid TV. However, if you can’t schedule your child to do other activities for the entire day, then make sure to get busy doing other interesting things at least for a few hours.
Another thing that parents can do to limit screen time for our kids is to fit in with other activities. For example, some children aren’t comfortable watching television and you can easily get your child to switch their entertainment time to something they’ll actually enjoy by making sure they eat breakfast and lunch together so that they can pick out what they want to watch and that shows are going to be on the television.
Kids don’t always see TV the same way that adults do. In other words, you might want to try a different method of teaching your child about television so that they understand why they shouldn’t watch it.
There are many other tips that you can use on how to limit screen time for our kids and all you have to do is be persistent. It might take some time for your child to figure out how to limit their television time, but it will eventually work and you’ll find that your child doesn’t watch television anymore.
Remember, it’s not only about the television either. You should be using your time with them to teach them about other activities that they will enjoy and that you enjoy seeing them enjoy as well.
So, the next time you’re talking to your child about how to limit their screen time, remember to have a realistic view of the situation. Don’t make them think that all the television shows that are on are only for entertainment and that there’s no use in watching it at all. Give them an opportunity to participate in their entertainment, like taking them to see movies and doing arts and crafts.
The influences of video games in their lives
If you are wondering how to help your kids limit screen time, you may have already considered trying out some video games that don’t require hours of boredom time. However, while many adults enjoy the excitement of playing these types of games, there is a growing number of studies showing the damage that excessive video games can do to our children’s brains.
As one of today’s children, it’s important that we teach our children good habits and avoid bad ones. If we do not, our kids will be less likely to grow up healthy and happy with healthy lifestyles. So, how do you help them limit screen time?
As parents, you should teach your kids not to focus too much on screens. In fact, in order to keep them from being addicted to video games, it is crucial that they only use a small amount of this technology. Don’t give them any reason to play for more than thirty minutes at a time. If your kids don’t get enough quality time to play with you, the likelihood of them playing video games for an extended period of time increases.
The video game industry is constantly attempting to convince us that there is absolutely no danger to children playing these types of games. While this may be true, there are also a growing number of studies showing that these games actually impair their ability to focus on tasks, their memory, and their motor skills.
When you buy your children video games for the first time, make sure that you get a game that features a variety of different levels and that is suitable for your child’s age range. This will help them develop good multitasking skills and it will prevent them from becoming bored.
Another way that you can help your kids limit their screen time is by encouraging them to take part in a variety of activities in the real world. For example, if your child is having trouble learning to walk or is unable to play sports, they will most likely need to find other ways to get exercise or socialize.
If you encourage your child to play with friends, the chances of them becoming addicted to computer games decreases. By interacting with other people in the real world, they will learn the importance of following the rules of the world around them.
Lastly, you should also help your children develop good physical skills. by walking with them, taking them to the park, and doing other activities. Doing things that stimulate the body will help them grow physically.
By giving them good reasons to limit their screen time and by encouraging them to participate in the real world, you will help them in ways that are difficult to find elsewhere. Your kids will thank you for it!
A final tip that will help you in your efforts to help your kids limit their screen time is to introduce them to different types of games at an early age. This will make them more familiar with the various types of games that are available, which will help them develop interests and skills that are necessary for them to learn and use when playing video games.
If you choose the right type of games, you can give your child a lot of fun while simultaneously teaching them how to be good problem solvers. Video games with a variety of different objectives can help teach your child how to work together as a team, work hard, and use strategy in order to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves.
In addition to teaching them how to play video games well, you will also have an opportunity to introduce them to other types of activities that are not related to playing games. Some video games offer educational features that will help your kids learn about math, science, reading, and social skills.
It is important to be sure that you limit the amount of time that your children spend on video games. Even if you do not think that your kids are capable of playing them for long periods of time, the more you help them play these types of games, the better prepared they will be for the real world outside of the computer.
The idea is not to completely ban screens
No matter what strategy you plan to adopt to limit the time your children spend in front of their screens, you must understand that the idea is not at all forbidding them. There are many interesting programs on TV for children, so they need to watch them in order to develop and to be able to know what programs children of their generation are watching.
Moreover, if you forbid them to go on the Internet, they can always go there in secret with their friends. If you take their cell phone away from them or refuse to give them one, their grandparents can still buy them one or they can always check their friends’ phones. The idea is therefore to moderate, to explain to them why they should not spend too much time in front of the screens so that they understand for themselves and become responsible.
And you? Do you have any other ideas to help our children spend less time in front of the screens?
Do not hesitate to share your ideas with us in the comments.