Embedded Files
But my kid isn't on his tablet that much.
Is he?
Screen time. Its a battle in every family. Some parents fight the good fight and win, and some parents give up before even going over the hill to see the battlefield. In today's world, you cannot expect to raise a family without having technology in your life. And now that devices are smaller, faster, and easier to hide, it has become even tougher to help a child understand when enough is enough.
Setting up boundaries before ever handing your child a phone or tablet is crucial! But if you are one of thousands of families who decided your child needed a device and now look back and wish you could take it all back, its not too late! (Click that to see why!)
A developing child has certain cognitive issues that occur when their brain encounters technology. There is a repeated release of dopamine into the brains receptors that allows them to feel better when using that device or gaming system. This becomes almost like an addiction and the child needs to use the device to release the dopamine again when they feel it coming down. This creates a cycle that is hard to escape from for someone underdeveloped like a child under the age of 18! We cannot expect them to fight this on their own! This behavior is not their fault!
So what can we, as parents, do to help our children?
Set Boundaries
This is the first step in helping your child understand that they will not be able to be on their device all the time.
Set a timer
"Ok! When this timer goes off, you will need to turn off your device and either a) hand it to me, b) unplug it or put it away, or c) insert thing they can do without a screen"
This does sometimes take time to work. If your child refuses or screams and yells or throws a big fit, you can do what Chris McKenna at PYE does! "It looks like you've had too much technology today. I hate that for you. Because I love you so much, I'm going to keep this device until tomorrow so that you don't have to feel that way. We can talk tomorrow about whether you think you're ready to have this back or if you need more time to feel better."
STICK WITH IT EVERY TIME Consistency is CRUCIAL TOO.
Give your child a chance to get off the device before you get onto them
You are busy building trust related to their device use. You cannot expect them to just jump off right away! This takes time and practice. "You have three minutes!" "You have one minute!" are good warnings so they realize that they need to wrap up their activity. Remember, games need to be saved and sometimes a game will kill off a character if they don't save or simply exit. This may seem small to you, but to them, its everything.
Include them in the conversation
How much time do you think they need? How much time do they really need? Do they feel good after they play or interact? How they feel once they've had time to relax away from the device? These are all good conversation starters to get your child involved in the boundaries planning!
Remind them how much you love them
We are all doing our best to parent our children and reminding them often of how much you love them and want them to be safe is one of the most important things we can do in protecting our children. Remind them so often they roll their eyes!
Behaviors related to too much screen time
Attitude
Short attention span
Temper
Unable to sit still
Eyesight problems
Neck or back problems
School behavior issues
Low or no interest in socializing
Slow in responding when spoken to
Lying
Hiding things or sneaking around
Health (weight gain, lack of energy, etc)
Use this information as a starting place for you to find what works best for your family. Do not worry about whether or not its too late for your family, because it is never too late! Your child's brain is not fully developed until they are 25! We can still help them break the cycle of screen time and change those behaviors!
Remember, you are doing this because you love them. You are raising empowered kids to be tech-savvy adults!
Report abuse