7 Tips to Keep Your Child Away From Their Phones (Important During the Pandemic)
It’s important to keep your child off their phones!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many primary and secondary schools have stopped offline classes and switched to online classes, which have to involve electronic devices.
Many students expressed disgust and worry about online classes because they are used to the offline teaching mode. During the epidemic, children spend more time at home and have fewer outdoor activities. Some teens and kids lack self-control and cannot resist temptation, which will increase the risk of Internet addiction. Parents are worried about their children playing games and watching videos with digital devices like phones and ipads and becoming addicted to the Internet. How to use Internet tools correctly during the epidemic will be a difficult problem for both schools and parents.
Long-term addiction to phones, computers, TVs, and the Internet is not conducive to the growth of young children. According to a survey report by the Pew Research Center in the United States, the time spent on electronic devices by 8 to 18-year-olds has increased by 17 percent since the outbreak of COVID-19. 41 percent of teens said their addiction to electronic devices and the Internet is a major cause of their insomnia, anxiety, or depression.
Staring at the screen for a long time will lead to red eyes, congestion, and other symptoms, which is the performance of visual fatigue. If do not rest in time, they will have dry eyes and blurred vision, which will lead to astigmatism and myopia in the long run, and may even suffer from corneal and conjunctival inflammation
How to get kids out of their phone addiction? Here are 7 tips for parents.
1. Set Rules and Boundaries
It is important to set rules for teens and kids – limit screen time.
Family members can work out a convention on the use of digital devices together, which can list children’s rights, restrictions, and punishments. If parents can clarify their rules for using mobile phones at home during the convention and supervise each other with children, the role of the convention can be played to a greater extent.
The rules formed by parents can make the children form a good habit of using mobile phones properly by osmoses. For example, tablets, phones, computers, and other electronic devices can be used only for study from Monday to Friday, not for entertainment; Or kids can use electronic devices after finishing homework for no more than 30 minutes.
2. Parents Should Lead by Example
Parents are their children’s first teachers and lifelong learning models. As a parent, you should set a good example by limiting your use of phones, tablets, etc. Many parents habitually ask their children to do things that they can’t do by example. For example, parents ask children to go home to do homework, and read books, and can not play on mobile phones, but when they get home but lie on the sofa to play on mobile phones; Or play with their phones while their child is doing his homework. These behaviors can have a negative influence and influence on children unconsciously.
Therefore, parents should set an example by not holding mobile phones all the time. Instead, they should put down their mobile phones and do healthy physical activities with their children, such as having a conversation and doing sports.
3. Quality Company
To reduce the time children spend on electronic devices, parents should provide their children with more options to fill their spare time and prevent them from becoming dependent on mobile phones by creating a good parent-child relationship and family atmosphere through the high-quality company.
For example, creating a parent-child reading corner or fitness area at home, cultivating interests with children, and diverting their attention from mobile phones by doing something more meaningful.
4. Focus on Methods
When the agreement is made, parents should punish the child in the agreed way if the child violates the agreement. When you see a child playing with a mobile phone, first ask whether the child has complied with the content of the convention, rather than immediately angry, and criticizing.
When children use mobile phones, there should be both “restrictions” and “rewards”.
If a total ban or restriction is allowed to do only study-related activities, it may cause children to break the pot and intensify parent-child conflict. In an age of rapid technological development, it is important to preserve children’s access to the world of information.
5. Outdoor Sports
A child’s nature is to love nature and the outside world. When children immerse themselves in nature and breathe fresh air, they will feel the greatness of nature, the preciousness, and the beauty of life. Children not only experience the joy of exploration but also promote the growth of knowledge and healthy physical and mental development. If can’t go out because of the pandemic, your back garden is also a good place for kids to go, we can see children playing all day long. They are happy, healthy, and have a lot of fun.
The outdoors provides many benefits for children. They can play outside and exercise their bodies. They can learn about nature and the environment. And they can make new friends with other kids in the neighborhood who share their interests in outdoor sports like soccer, basketball, or tennis.
6.Develop Interests
Children need to explore their interests and be encouraged to try new things.
Children are not born with a set of skills and interests. They explore, experiment, and learn as they grow up. Parents should support their children in exploring their interests to find out what they like, what they are good at, and what will make them happy for the rest of their life. Some kids are very interested in football, while others prefer swimming, dancing, or photography. Whatever the interest, it is important that children explore their interests. The more children devote themselves to their interests, the more they gain from it. This is a good way to lure your kids from digital devices.
7.Find Alternatives to Phones and Ipads
Nowadays, teens and kids are often glued to their phones and tablets. Technology has made it easier for us to do anything from watching movies and playing games. However, many other ways of entertainment and knowledge can be explored besides using a phone or tablet. Photography is one of the most popular hobbies among people nowadays. It is not only a creative way of expressing oneself but also a great way to capture memories that will last forever.
The backyard can also be a haven for children to take pictures of plants and insects that will delight them all day long. While they’re busy taking pictures, they may have left their phones and tablets behind.
I believe we must do some overall improvements in the area of education, society, and parenting. We need to educate people on how to use digital devices properly, have rules on how much time/day is allowed for using these devices as well as establish consequences if you break them. It is also necessary to educate children at a young age on how to properly use these devices so when they get older they can continue to remain “tech-smart” and keep them from becoming “tech-stupid.”
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