We can’t deny the role technology will play in our children’s futures. Even now, technology seems to be taking over their lives. It’s there when they go to school, it’s there when they get home, and lets be honest – it’s probably there in their dreams.
So if it’s going to be so prevalent in our children’s futures, how much should we allow them to use it now?
Where is the sweet spot? Where it is healthy but not harmful.
It used to be when I was growing up (not too long ago) that thirty minutes a day was an acceptable amount of time on a computer. Then, somehow, experts started saying that two hours a day was considered still healthy for children. And now, some professionals are merely saying “place consistent limits on the time spent using media”. Oh how the lines have blurred. And how confusing for parents!
But, what if it wasn’t the length of time on the device that was harmful, what if it was in fact the content on the device that was doing the harm?
For example, the ‘Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens’ identifies four main categories of screen time:
- Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, listening to music
- Interactive consumption: playing games, browsing the internet
- Communication: video chatting and using social media
- Content creation: using devices to create digital art or music.
So now what we are able to begin to do is ask ourselves, how is my child responding to each of these activities. It may mean that the next time they are using a device, you check in with what type of consumption it is. Then you pay attention to how your child acts during and after that consumption, because each one will be triggering different areas of the brain. Are they showing signs of positive or negative behaviour?
What you will begin to be able to do is identify what content is having a helpful or harmful effect on your child. And now we can put systems in place to deter it from happening again.
Maybe it means putting a schedule in place for your kids, outlining what types of screen consumption they can have and when. It may mean having a conversation with your children and creating a plan to ensure they are using devices to benefit them. By explaining the effects a certain type of screen time has on them, this way they will be more willing to set up boundaries and therefore it becomes more of a partnership than a set of rules they have to obey.
Technology should always be used as a tool.
If the content on it is causing your child to respond negatively, then restrictions and limitations definitely need to be put in place!
What are your thoughts?
Could the time on devices, or the content on them, be causing harm to our children?
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