Smartphones have taken over the world these days. With limitless possibilities of internet, whether it is kids, teenagers or adults, everyone is engrossed with the digital world. But getting addicted to mobiles is in no way good for kids or any individual. Restraining your kid from using the mobile has become a herculean task since kids can sacrifice anything to get more gadget time.
But there are ways and means that parents can adopt to keep a check on the digital time of their child and how to pull them away from these mobiles:
- Lead by example:
- if your child sees you on the phone all the time, you will not be able to convince him that using too much phone is harmful for them. You must also keep a check on your digital consumption and learn to keep your smartphone away when your kid is around.
- Reading:
Read to your child whether it is a novel, a story or just a newspaper. You can also start reading in front of them so they also feel attracted towards reading. Reading habit can be quite addicting too but unlike smartphone addiction, it has more pros than cons. - Take the phone away before bedtime:
Using phone before sleeping can be really harmful since smartphone addiction is known to create sleepiness. It disturbs one’s sleeping pattern so take away the mobile when it is time for bed. - Monitor Screen Time:
Set a fixed time for your child to use smartphone and stick to the schedule. Internet is quite helpful and one way to learn and grow. Therefore, you cannot keep your kid devoid of it. But set boundaries and remind your child what time they have to leave the mobile. - Don’t give them their own smartphone: Until your kid enters teenage they do not need a mobile of their own. With gadgets like computer and laptop, you won’t find them spending too much time but mobile because of its ease of access can be quite addicting. So, do not give your child a personal smartphone and let them use your phone instead. Set lockscreen password and do not share it with your child. This way, you can control when your child will use the mobile and when not since they will have to ask you to unlock the phone.
- Let them play:
Play with your child or enrol them in sports. Motivate them towards other extracurricular activities so they do not have time to spend staring at a screen for long hours. They might throw temper tantrums or urge you to increase their screen time but you must convince them otherwise.