The Covid-19 pandemic has made the kids closer to technology and the amount of screen time for kids is increasing by the day. The main reason behind the exposure of increased screen time for kids is due to the shift of classrooms online. As teachers and educational institutions are making efforts to teach the kids through Zoom, Google Meet, etc., more and more screen time for kids is becoming a daily routine. It is a known fact that kids will not move away from the screens even if the online classes are finished.
The latest technology is constantly at our fingertips and it makes access to the internet very easy, for us and for kids. Even adults find themselves lost surfing the internet let alone kids. It may be YouTube surfing, playing games, scrolling social media, etc. they like to spend time with a screen in front of them.
While screens are increasingly becoming a normal part of all of our daily lives, there can be numerous benefits in reducing screen time for kids and adults. Kids miss out on any physical activity and exercise if they are constantly on their phones or computers. So, here are some tips on how to limit screen time for kids and make the best use of time.
1.Set a Screen-Free Zone in Your House
Having a place or a time where everyone in your family has to keep their phones can help in bringing down the screen time for kids. Kids learn from their parents, so it is crucial for the parents to follow the rules so that the kids feel motivated or at least obliged to do the same.
It can be a particular time of the day, ideally after school hours or a place in the house like the dining table where no one is allowed to look at their phones as long as they are sitting on the table.
Setting a schedule for screen time for kids and yourself, whether it is for watching movies, cartoons, playing games or just surfing the internet. Setting a schedule will help in maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, doing their assignments and homework on time and they grow up not expecting screens to pass the time everywhere they go.
2. Use Parental Control Apps
With the ever-expanding internet world, kids are learning new and latest ways how to use technology to their advantage. Most of the kids today have become tech-savvy and know more about technology than their parents do. It has now become important for parents to educate themselves on technology not only because their work-life demands but also to be on par with the tech knowledge for their kids so that they can monitor their online activities.
There are many apps in the market that enable parents to monitor the screen time for kids. Installing filters on their phones and the wifi routers can prevent kids from swaying towards unwanted content online. These parental control apps will provide parents with a means to monitor their kids’ online activities and supervise the content they are consuming online. Most of the smartphones today come with built-in parental controls too. They can also aid you in monitoring their activities. They can block certain websites, certain web searches and certain keywords so that kids are not exposed to unwanted content online.
3. Reason With Them for Limiting Their Screen Time
Explaining to them why the whole family needs to set their phones aside and spend time with each other can motivate them in setting their phones aside and follow the rules set by you. Forcing them to put their phones away and follow rules blindly will only make them find smarter and sneaker ways to break the rules. Informing them that their online activity is going to be monitored by you not because you don’t trust them but because it is easy to get distracted while surfing the internet will make them feel less likely to rebel against you. After all this, it is more than likely that your kid is going to get offended that you are monitoring their online activity so, you still have to explain that they can get their privacy as long as they follow the house rules.
Blix Robotix can help in limiting screen time for kids, by providing robotics kits for all the kids who enrol in their online robotics learning classes. As the classes are online, the robotics kits can be a great medium for kids to engage in physical activities away from screens. Screen time for kids is becoming a health issue for many kids, they need to go out, play with physical toys, interact with people and parents need to help them find a balance between the online world and the real world.
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