They can’t walk yet, but they already use smartphones and tablets with might and main. Digital childhood is the reality of today. How to make it healthy?
Talk about a “screen diet” for kids is increasingly beginning with the recognition of a banal fact: tablets and smartphones are part of our lives. With their help, we communicate, work, study, create, relax. And if so, is it any wonder that our children follow us?
“Today, more than 30% of children under two years of age use mobile devices to play,” according to a 2015 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “About 75% of teenagers have a personal smartphone, 24% of them admit that they constantly use it.” Can such a relationship with electronics be considered healthy?
The time children spend in front of screens has long been of concern to pediatricians and child psychologists. How early can you give your child a tablet or put him in front of a computer? Should I let him fiddle with the device every day? And how does all this affect the health and development of children?
Various studies have already identified the negative effects of early exposure to digital devices: underdevelopment of speech and social skills, problems with attention, memory, and emotional sphere.
At the same time, experts remind that unhealthy relationships with technology are often the result of parental negligence. The temptation is too great to take the baby with a cartoon or a game in order to find time for their own affairs.
Pediatricians also consider unproductive the approach in which the smartphone is used only as a reward.
At the Growing Up Digital Symposium in October 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics presented new guidelines for parents. According to the authors, mobile devices can only be useful if the child masters them together with their parents, comprehending the digital world through communication.
Some guidelines remain in place: parents should not give mobile devices to children under two years of age, and also allow a child to spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen.
The new principles are not about time, but about the quality of the relationship between a child and a gadget.
1. Set uniform rules. Children behave in a virtual environment just like they would in any other. Everywhere there should be boundaries that both you and the child will respect.
2. Start with yourself. Remember that children copy your behavior. Rethink your relationship with digital devices. How much time do you spend on them? How often do you check mail, news or updates? Do you give yourself electronics-free days?
3. Discover together. Be the mediator in your child’s relationship with the digital world. Encourage him to explore, ask questions, be ready to answer and share experiences.
4. Focus on content, not time. Content quality is more important than the time a child spends in front of a device. Prioritize educational games and programs that help your child train attention or communication skills. Choose applications that are developed in collaboration with child psychologists and educators or receive their approval.
5. Choose games that involve communication. Remember that a gadget should be a tool, not a surrogate for communication. Avoid one-way exchanges that require the child to be least involved in what is happening. Instead of watching videos, choose interactive programs, communicate remotely via Skype or other messenger programs.
6. Use the power of social networks. A social media presence is especially important for a teenage child who is just learning to build their own identity and seek the approval of others. If at this moment you are nearby, he will be able to better understand the principles of online life and avoid mistakes.
7. Create «free zones». Allocate islands of space (in the bedroom, in the kitchen) that will always be free from devices. Let your child understand that bringing a tablet or smartphone is not allowed. Make sure that the time allocated for sleep and family meals is «sacred».