Summer is the time of the year most likely for children to create addiction to screens. There is no school or extracurriculars, and this helps to spend too much time hooked on mobile or tablet. How can parents manage it? How to prevent them from sticking to the screens all summer?
Manage screen time
Without any control, there are children who can spend too many hours in front of the mobile, both day and night. It is not about setting strict schedules, because it would be very difficult to control and it is not the objective (the idea is that they learn to manage themselves) but of manage usage time with some common sense.
Instead of establishing when they can use the technology, you can try moments of non-use of technology, those moments when you in no way allow them to use the mobile. For example, if you go to a summer camp, your cell phone stays at home. Lunch and dinner time is mobile free, not negotiable. Time to go to bed, also without mobile.
In addition, try to follow the recommendations of time of use suggested by the experts. The AAP recommends that children under three years of age do not use the mobile phone, from 3 to 5 years old, that do not exceed one hour of high quality educational content, and from 6 that does not exceed two hours of use and try to find a balance between digital life and real life.
Promote outdoor activities
Many times, mobile addiction is caused by boredom. If they have nothing more interesting to do, they will take the phone. Therefore, the best way to stop being attached to the mobile is propose entertaining activities: go to the beach, go to the pool, meet friends, play sports, take a walk ...
In addition, remember that sedentary lifestyle is a big problem derived from the use of technologies that are very harmful to your health. It is important that children do physical activity that complements screen time and promotes healthy lifestyle habits.
Use screen time with advantage
The time you use the screens, do it with profit. You can turn mobile into an ally for create links with your children or to learn things together. I give you some examples.
- If you are going to travel somewhere, ask them to look for information about monuments, sites of interest, what you can visit, history of the city, etc ...
- You can search for information on things to do in summer, such as how to build a tree house, outdoor games ...
- If you are going to use applications or games, try to make them educational tools with which in addition to entertaining you can learn.
- Play with your child: you can play online games or videogames together, making the use of screens an opportunity to spend time together.
Use in common places of the house
A classic advice to control the time of use of screens in children is to place the computer in a common space of the house, a recommendation that can be extended to other devices.
Also, if children make use of mobile phones or tablets, they will have to do it is common places like the living room of the house, the kitchen or family living area. If they use it in the bedroom, parents have less control not only of the time they use it, but also of the contents they consume.
Control the contents they consume
Summer is no excuse for them to have access to content that we do not allow them to have at another time of the year. However you limit access to certain content, whether you use a parental control application or security measures within applications such as YouTube, control that they remain active.
One thing at a time
A rule that will help your child spend less time stuck the phone is the rule of "one thing at a time". Today, they go (we go) walking down the street looking at the mobile, we are in the pool, looking at the mobile, we see a movie and we look at the mobile every so often. Or worse, they are talking to us and we look at the mobile. Encourage the children that if they are doing something (whatever it is), the mobile does not touch.
They have a tendency to do two things at once (whatever + mobile) that does not allow them to concentrate and enjoy of what he is doing at that moment.
Do not use the mobile as an emotional pacifier
Finally, and very important, the AAP already said in its latest recommendations on the correct use of technology by children: let's not use the mobile as an emotional pacifier.
Many times we are "comfortable" that children are hooked to the mobile because they are entertained and do not bother. Technology is being the babysitter of our children. As parents, we have a responsibility to promote responsible use of technologies, and above all set an example with our behavior.
If we are hooked the mobile all day, we cannot demand that our children leave the mobile. Therefore, the best advice we can give you for this summer is: more time together and less mobile time.
