With the swipe of a finger across a screen or the push of a button, today’s kids are engaged, entertained and informed more than ever. Our kids can eliminate the need for typing utilizing voice-recognition services like Siri, Alexa and Google and two-year-olds are now figuring out the basics of using a tablet even before they can speak a full sentence. Parents should establish balance and moderation in their children’s lives, regulating screen time and preparing them to thrive in a digital world.
Today’s technology, along with the explosion of tablets and smartphones, has led to a massive surge in the number of kids who use technology. Consensus says that nearly 6 in 10 kids watch TV daily, almost 4 in 10 kids under the age of 2 have used mobile devices and the average 8 to 10 year old uses technology (computers, phones and TV’s) up to 6 hours a day.
Naturally, these statistics can raise a concern about kids’ health and safety, especially when they’re just toddlers, and it’s your job as a parent to help them develop good media habits. We don’t want our children to be walking zombies, zoned out on the television or a tablet screen, unable to interact with the real word around them. Some parents, including my wife and myself, try to limit this by giving our kids other activities, chores and anything else that can occupy their time. But, it’s not the easiest thing to regulate. Part of raising kids in the digital age is helping them become familiar and comfortable with the world in which they will grow up in and one day work in.
The most effective way of limiting kids screen time, besides having to regulate it yourself by telling them it’s time to stop, is to set-up parental controls on their devices. Parental control software is available for computers, tablets and smartphones. Schedules can be developed for days, times during the day and night as well as the amount of time they can spend per day using their technology. In addition, notifications can be set-up to provide reports of their activity. This is a sure way to regulate their use if/when you become busy with work or other activities. The set-up of such software can vary in difficulty and capability depending upon the type of device you want to use it on. If you don’t know where to start and need assistance feel free to reach out to us!
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