By Hu Wo (Cuckoo’s Song)
These days, kids from all over the world like to spend most of their free time surfing the net, as far as I can see. In our childhood, we had less screen time than now, simply because we could not afford modern technology to a certain extent, except that we used to see a few movies on TV on weekdays and weekends. We would spend time on child’s play, such as hide-and-seek or football, not on the phone. Nowadays, most children are so addicted to video games and TikTok that they cannot help using the internet every single day. From whatever point of view, wasting time only on the internet day and night is inadvisable for their health at all. Thus, how should we stop our kids’ endless scrolling?
Start small and be realistic: Many indulgent parents have already given their children tablets or smartphones, especially because they do not want them to lose face among their same age groups, without being aware that getting rid of the tablets or phones is no easy task. Of course, breaking a deep-rooted habit, especially a bad habit, is too difficult. Changing a habit is always going to be hard, and implementing changes at a neutral moment, not in the heat of an argument about screen time, calm brains communicate best, as Child Psychologist Dr Jane Gilmour stated. Hence, one of the first steps to reducing kids’ screen time may be designating a set place at home for devices, like a particular cupboard.
Be collaborative: According to Child Psychologist Dr Maryham Baker, older children and teenagers can benefit from being part of the conversation around screen time instead of having rules imposed on them. In actual fact, acknowledging the peer pressure surrounding social media can help get teens onside, where Parenting Coach Edwards added that building a strong connection with children or teenagers will make it easier to regulate screen use. What I want to mean here is that parent collaboration tells a sort of authoritative parenting style, not authoritarian, indulgent or neglectful.
Turn screen time into learning opportunities: Many children of today are found to be struggling to keep up with the fast-paced changing fads and trends on social media, for example, a premature marriage or a young marriage. There is, however, an opportunity for both adults and children to learn from each other through frank discussions about screen time. How we think social media works or an application works to keep people looking at it, and whether they make money off the more time people spend on it, are potentially expected learning opportunities for children. After all, parents can even teach their children digital literacy in a hands-on way.
Model good behaviour: It is no secret that children mimic or imitate their parents, encouraging good screen habits in them will have to start with some self-reflection. As a light-hearted approach to behaviour, a slightly self-deprecating conversation with kids can be used. Really, phones and tablets have provided young and old alike with an ever-present source of entertainment, but both adults and children should take advantage of embracing boredom a bit more. Being on the screen, we keep on looking at the external world, as well as when we go into our internal world, and we kind of stare into space, which allows us to think about the past, visualise the future and predict creativity.
Do not panic: Parenting is scarcely easy, yet raising children in a time and place where screens exist here and there can be very worrying even though we are still learning how they affect us. Nonetheless, parents should not fall into the trap of moral panic now that there is a tendency for anxious people to get caught up in a prevailing media panic and see all adolescent brains as simply hardwired for social media addiction. Nevertheless, children and teenagers have what is called neuroplasticity, that is, their brains are better at adapting and bouncing back than those of adults. Herein, positive technological use can help to boost neuroplasticity for creativity, exploration and learning.