Help! How to prevent my child from being a digital addict?

Technology captivates us adults every moment every second let alone our innocent children who are at their peaks of exploration of the world. Just to be clear, Technology is not all the bad guy here, there are indeed numerous benefits to it. Every day and so as in the future, we are and will be overwhelmed by new technology inevitably. But when it comes to overexposure, this is a different story. So how do we teach our kids to make peace with technology?

*Note: Technology comes in all forms. We are talking about the use of screens e.g. phones, computers, televisions, instead of everyday technology, e.g. a washing machine.

1. Reading

Oh our old friend, storybooks. as mentioned (link to blog). They are a powerful tool to teach our children. Children enjoy reading storybooks. Whether it is about training a pet dragon, Emma telling grownups to put away their phones ,or Dot, a clever girl learning to balance the use of devices, there are multiple options of interesting books on the balance of life and technology. Storybooks would be a light and easy way to introduce our child to the ways of using digital devices wisely, with the added benefits of practicing other essential speech and language qualities like phonological awareness and vocabularies.

2. Set up a schedule

If you have already been using a timer(reference for autism attention) with your child, why not also use it to keep track of screen time? A fixed schedule would be the best, a recommended daily use of 2 hours of digital devices is suitable, excluding for education purposes because I know, online learning has been a norm during this crisis. If not, make screens an occasional reward. You do not want screens to be a reward frequently because kids can get captivated by it easily! Thus, it is generally not advised to have screens as a reward during break time.

3. Fill their lives with other things

This is a common scene: you are having a gathering in a restaurant. You see the group of parents at the next table are busy talking to others while they leave their child with a tablet. The child becomes on autopilot and keeps quiet without running around, screaming for mom nor interacting with their peers at the dinner table.

But, isn't this what childhood is about? To jump around, making a great game out of an eraser, being curious about their environment.

What parents should do is not keep the children's mouth shut with a soulless tool but educate them when they are wrong. Busy talking? Try introducing your child to games like Wordsearch, Sudoku, a drawing book... the options are endless! I still recall trying to solve a complicated Sudoku with my friends, it was fun, and still, to this day, I enjoy them.

4. Watch videos about it

Here is a fantastic example of how technology benefits us: it gives us knowledge. Whether it is a story or for older kids, a documentary or a movie, this is great to educate our kids about the danger of overexposure of screens. Do not forget to keep the topic open and neutral. Not only learn about how technology can be addictive but also how it benefits our lives. A small discussion about the movie right after is highly beneficial.

5. Most important of all......don't be a digital addict!

Environment plays a big role in influencing toddler's behaviours, and so to us adults (Wolf, C., Wolf, S., Weiss, M., & Nino, G,2018).

Therefore, creating a healthy atmosphere at home is crucial. This might seem daunting when nowadays everything is hugely dependent on technology. But there is an easy way out. Avoid using digital devices, again excluding educational purposes, in front of your children. If they ask, tell them you are working. Do not tell them you are working when you are obviously playing video games! Be honest. Kids know it.

Parents as a role model in kids life are fundamental factors to healthy development of our children.

Kids imitate almost everything parents do from 18 months old as a way of learning.

-----Nielsen, M., & Tomaselli, K. (2010)

According to the Sydney Children's Hospital guidelines on screen time, children aged 2-5 should limit screen use to no more than 2 hours per day and no screen use should be allowed at the age below 2 unless video chatting.

Great parental education of ways to use devices smartly is important: talk and discuss with your children over the use of screens, e.g. when should we be using devices, the pros and cons. If parents are smart screen users, so will their child (Eisenberg & Fabes, 1998).

Practical: Set up a 'No screen time/day' daily/weekly where everyone has to put away their phones unless needed and spend time together. 1 hour a day can be a feasible start, e.g. when having family dinner.

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Again, technology is of immense benefits but we must learn to use it smartly and carefully. This blog is solely focusing on preventing internet addiction instead of banning technology.

To learn more, check out guidelines from The Sydney's Children Hospitals Network to Australia's recommendations for on-screen use.

Hope you have all enjoyed reading this, I have enjoyed sharing with you these 5 tips on making peace with technology.

Let me know all your thoughts, got another tip? Tell us by leaving a comment!

Have a great day and don't forget to smile!

Joyce Lau