How do parents control the amount of time children spend on technology?
Technology is part of our lives now and there’s no going back. From the G.P.S in our cars to browsing the internet. It’s part of us.
But the question I often get from parents is “How much time should we allow our children to browse at home?”
Eliminating technology completely would be something I would not recommend, but having specific times when technology is allowed seems to be the best option. “A technology window” is something I suggest to families.
“Between 4-5pm the iPad is allowed, but it not to be used 1 minute before and as soon as that clock ticks 5pm it’s off, regardless of where you are or what your doing!”
As a parent do not compromise on this.
It’s also important to note that technology should not be used as a “keep quiet” activity. It must be meaningful, otherwise what’s the point?
You may as well allow them to be bored, which will ultimately spark their creativity. When children are bored they become creative.
• Limit technology to certain times,
• Know what they are doing,
• Have them in sight
• Don’t use it as a “keep quiet”
But do use it. ❤️
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One Response
Technology is becoming all pervasive and as it has helped adults improve work efficiency, it can allow children to improve the efficiency of their academics/creative activities too. As Gavin rightly mentioned, “it must be meaningful”. Whatever we allow and disallow must have an inherent benefit to the child. As our parents used to restrict outdoor games to certain hours a day, because back then games were the major form of entertainment, these days technology is becoming all pervasive. So more than the time spent on technology, understanding what the child is using technology for is important.
If he is playing games all day long, it needs to be controlled. If he is getting interested in programming and making applications, that needs to be promoted.