Television, desktop, laptop, tablets, mobile phone… with accessibility, comes addiction. Screen use among kids has exploded over the past decade. Between homework, social media, video games and YouTube videos, kids rack up six or seven hours of screen time daily.
but here are some smart parent-tested ways you can use to limit your kid’s screen time:
Follow A Schedule Setting and following a schedule is one of the proven ways to regulate almost all activities in kids’ life. Kids like it and feel comfortable when their daily activities are familiar and predictable. So, having pre-defined screen time in their schedule will help them readily hand the phone back by the end of time, and move on to the next activity. It might take a few days for the practice to set in initially, but once they get the hang of it, you won’t have to deal with the tantrums demanding more time.
Let Them Justify Their Screen Use Whenever your kid asks to jump on a piece of technology, make sure to ask why they need it before you jump to a straight “No”. This makes them think about reasons they need a phone and makes sure they are not turning to it out of habit.
And if the reasons turn out to be boredom or their need to be entertained, chances are they are turning to technology due to lack of options. By starting this conversation, you can suggest to them other activities they can do instead, or even brainstorm with them for things that could be equally interesting.
Set A Timer Kids do not have a sense of time. They can’t really tell the difference between half an hour and a full hour, especially when they are fully involved in an activity and are having fun (much like it is with us adults). Instead of giving them time frames that they do not understand, try giving them visual or sound cues. Setting a timer is one such way. “Phones down when the alarm goes!” can also turn into a fun competition that could end in potential giggles and no complaints.
Utilize Screen Lock Features Perfection is a myth, especially for human parents. It is often impossible to be around and monitor your kid’s screen time every time. But that’s not something one should feel guilty about, every parent goes through this!
There are many screen-time tracking and parental control features that will do the work for you! Do not hesitate to rely on these much-needed tech-help features.
Our own Little Singham app now comes with an add-on that lets you parents set a duration after which the device’s screen auto-locks. You can also define the apps that your kids are allowed to use on the device, and when the kid tries to open an app that’s not on the list - lock! They can’t. There is no snooping around on our watch, and we have no problem playing the bad cop! Click here to get this oh-so-very-convenient and cool feature that we specifically worked on to make parenting a little less challenging.