The relationship of children to screens is very complicated. Between the widespread belief that every child must have a "tablet" to be like his peers, and the prevalence of this belief coincided with the emergence of many behavioral problems and sleep disorders in children we must stop to ask ourselves, what exactly is happening? Is it our children's possession of a tablet that the only way to make them better children and make us competent parents?
First, where did this belief originate from?
Technology has become an integral part of our daily life. We use phones to do almost everything, and consequently, our children are exposed to these devices from an early age.
But what happened recently is that there are no laws to regulate this exposure and many children spend more than half of their day in front of screens, whether to watch cartoon programs or to play on a tablet or iPad, the problem is not with the filters in themselves, but in the way we let our children use them With it, which led to many adverse effects as we will explain later.
Well, I don't see a problem with this. All children spend most of their time in front of the screens.
The World Health Organization clarified that one of the most important causes of sleep disorders in the category of children is the widespread use of screens, as it negatively affects the child's biological clock and thus the regularity of his sleep. The use of monitors for long hours also affects children's attention and academic performance.
And do not forget that our preoccupation with our phones while we are with our children gives them a message that what we do on the phone is more important than being with them, which negatively affects our relationship with them and provides them with a bad example about using phones.
Finally, the blue light from these screens negatively affects the eyes, and in a study published in the journal Nature, it may lead in the long run to destroy the cells of the retina.
As a result of all this, their growth in general, and their cognitive abilities, in particular, will be affected.
Still not convinced? Let's see what the tech pioneers think about this.
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are the owners of the credit for the widespread use of screens between different ages when asked about their children's use of filters when they were young; Steve Jobs replied that he did not like to use his children to use the iPad, and likewise commented that Gates allowed his children to own phones when they reached the age of Fourteenth.
But my child is playing with a tablet and nothing else.
Here, the problem mainly occurs. The screens have replaced the activities and games that children play for entertainment, so the tablet is the child's only means of entertainment rather than practicing a sport that stimulates his body and stimulates his mind and raises his personality, or that he plays with his peers or brothers; This gives him social skills that are only acquired through direct contact with humans.
Excessive use of screens is accompanied by a lack of physical activity and a lack of social interactions, which negatively affects his physical and mental health. To make matters worse, many educators deliberately make the tablet or the mobile a reward for any good behavior the child performs, which increases the child's attachment to the screens and is linked in his mind as something desirable; He gets it when he's a good baby.
Hey, I bought my tablet child to become a smart kid.
Yes, by using rational screens and ensuring the quality of the programs they watch and the games they play on, we may help our children to develop some of their skills. Still, the current standard use of these devices is to leave the child in front of them until we operate them so that they do not cause inconvenience and ensure that they remain calm. Children stay at home.
Add to that the fact that we often don't know what kind of children our children watch on these screens and whether or not it is appropriate for their age.
And if you are keen that your child uses screens thinking that this will develop his level of intelligence, let me tell you that most of the applications he promotes as useful educational applications have not been proven effective in research and study, then not everything that is said about "educational" really teaches the child something.
Let me also tell you that the essential thing that you offer your child to develop his abilities and skills - as well as building a strong relationship with him - is to share it playing it yourself, no matter how simple the game is; Sharing our children while playing is the most significant catalyst for their cognitive ability and creating bridges of communication with them in the long run.
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So are we permanently banning our children from using screens?
No, and this is not the aim of the article, but rather, the goal is that their use of it is by the rules and laws and not to leave our children throughout the day in front of the screens. They are ultimately children, and they need to guide adults so that they are not exposed to danger.
The World Health Organization explained that children under one year are not allowed to be exposed to screens of any kind, and children from one year to five years old are allowed one hour per day.
It is difficult, however.
Control of our children's exposure to screens may seem impossible at first glance.
So here are the recommendations of the American Pediatric Society to deal with the problem:
We should be a good role model for our children on that point, so we should control ourselves in our use of the screens before we ask them to.
Also, we have to keep their time busy with many alternative activities that they like to do, from drawing, coloring, reading stories to them, or even doing some physical activities with them.
We must know the quality of the content of what our children watch on the screens and make sure that it is appropriate for their age and does not contain violent scenes or scenes that are not suitable for them as children.
Be firm while applying these rules. You need to know that the child will initially refuse to put an end to his use of screens, and then you must be firm without violence, of course, until he realizes that this is a new reality. There is no way to complain and also reward him every day that adheres to the permissible limit until He gets used to this situation.
In the end, our children are the most precious thing that we have in life, and we have to do for the sake of raising and nurturing them a healthy upbringing that we have and we can, may God protect our children from all harm.
Author: Steav