Screen Time Should be Allowed According to Age.
In the 21st century, most families now have both parents working. People’s thinking has changed with time. As a father contributes to the family, so does a mother; Just to ensure a bright future for the child. There is no shortage of efforts by parents to ensure that children get the best at home and outside! In this case, the biggest difficulty that has to be faced is not being able to give enough time to the child The result is the child’s screen time, which sometimes goes to abnormal levels!
This is not only a concern for corporate parents, however. Homemaker is also for moms who stay at home all day. It can be seen that to manage the family, cooking, and small tasks, many times children have to hand over various devices so that they stay still for a while. It seems as if there is no other option. Safety also comes to mind, whether to let the child play outside, where to send it, or if there is any problem. And in many places, there is no space to play. So, these devices are the only entertainment or way of spending time for a housebound child. So, today’s topic is baby screen time.
Harmful effects and Strategies to control additional device addiction.
Children’s screen time
Screen time is the amount of time a child spends on a device. TV, Tab, and Mobile can be anything. Children can watch some educational programs or funny cartoons, rhymes, and songs at a certain age for learning. But when it comes to screen time, it’s important to keep in mind what the child is watching, how long, and whether it’s age-appropriate.
Read: How and What to Start a Baby’s First Solid Food?
How long can you use the screen at any age?
- According to ‘The American Academy of Pediatrics’, children under 18 months should not be allowed screen time at all. Only video calls with relatives can be allowed for a while, but not for long.
- 18-24-month-olds will only share some screen time with parents and it should be age-appropriate content.
- 2-5-year-old children can have 1 hour of screen time and that is an educational program.
- For children aged 6 or above, parents should fix the time and monitor whether the child is watching any other Harmful content outside of it.
Harmful effects on the child
This is a condition from which it is not easy to get out. Children and adults alike are seen spending hours on screen time. It’s like an addiction. Little by little a lot of time goes behind it. Let’s find out how excess screen time can affect children’s development.
Disturbances in sleeping patterns
If you focus too much on cartoons or games, your baby will not want to sleep on time. And excessive screen time disrupts a child’s vision and sleeping patterns.
Learning not to recognize food
One thing to note is that for screen time, the child does not understand the taste of the food or how much he is eating. Handing over the device while eating is very common. It keeps his attention less on the food and more on the screen! Does not even learn to recognize food. At times, reluctance to eat or drink due to attraction to the screen.
Change in ritual use
Children love imitation. Children are constantly learning from the cartoons or videos that are playing on the device. Be it good or bad. It also changes his entire behavior. Sometimes he gets stubborn, angry, and hyper. That is, these things can have an adverse effect on the time of his personality buildup.
Spend less time with family
Children with more screen time tend to spend less time with family. Their emotional development is delayed due to a lack of social bonding. These children also show reluctance to go outside and do not mix well with other children.
Read: How and What to Start a Baby’s First Solid Food?
Speech delay
Screen time reduces activity in children. Less movement can cause them to gain weight and that triggers other physical problems. If you sit in front of the TV or mobile phone all day, speech problems, hearing loss, non-response when called, etc. can be a problem. In a word, the physical and mental health of the child becomes a barrier to development.
Loss of interest in sports
Too much screen time reduces children’s interest in reading and sports. His creativity diminishes. He shows reluctance to do anything new.
Fear or trauma
Maybe let the child watch a video on a learning topic. Now along with the good, various healthy content is also very easily available on YouTube. Your child has accidentally viewed content that may have a negative impact on their brain. If he sees something scary, he may not get out of that situation easily and it is not too difficult to become a victim of trauma. It is normal for this fear or trauma to hinder his emotional development.
So, what is not learning?
Many parents think of videos or cartoons as a medium for baby talk. This is actually not quite right. Some can be learned from videos. They catch little words. But language is not fully developed or learned at this age because it is one-way communication. Your child can only see what is happening on the screen but no communication is taking place. The result is speech delay!
Strategies for controlling screen time
- Give the child time. Don’t give up the device immediately if the child is upset. In it anything is easily found in him, this attitude works. Later, if he doesn’t get it, he insists on it.
- Give away toys that will help the child develop. For example, children like building blocks or drawing. Along with that, definitely develop the habit of reading books.
- There is a separate YouTube channel for kids, you can give that. Block unwanted videos. Keep the mobile with kids-friendly settings.
- Along with loving the child, it is also important to discipline the child in the right way. As if he understands what is good for him and what is bad. But some children need extra care. Observe how your child reacts.
- Take him out on holidays and let him socialize with other children. You can take him to zoos, parks, and playgrounds to reduce his interest in screen time.
- Take the child along in small chores around the house, so that he gets interested in learning the work. Even if you can’t encourage him. For example, drying clothes, watering plants, passing small things during cooking or baking, etc. Of course, he will act according to his age.
- Now there are many preschools or childcare institutions. You can keep the child there for some time as per your ability. This will keep him away from screen time for most of the day. Will learn new things.
- Above all, change yourself. How to stop your child if you yourself are addicted to the device? Avoid using the device unnecessarily in front of the child. If you have to use the mobile phone in front of him, explain it nicely.
Things to do for working parents
If both parents work, make sure that the person who is looking after the child throughout the day does not give the child a mobile or smartphone. According to age can watch TV for a while, but not all day! Get him used to gardening, taking care of trees, and painting. Give your child quality time in leisure time, and talk more.
This was today’s discussion. A good upbringing of a child involves a better future for yourself, society, and the country. So don’t let excess screen time hinder your child’s full development.
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