Do you remember the era when you grew up without a smartphone or so much knowledge readily available at your fingertips? But definitely, this is no such time. Today everyone is addicted to their phones and children as in no other case. So we understand if you have a worry and looking for ” How to stop Kids screen time “. But one question definitely we should ask is how exactly this can be handled, how to limit digital screen time for my kid or is it something we are responsible for and have invited ourselves into such a situation? With this article, we will suggest solutions to help you limit your child’s addictive problem towards mobile phones but also we will try to understand what’s the root cause or if we can work on something that can help the next generation realize how harmful it can be.
But WHY Stop Kids Screen Time?
But let’s start with the basic Why stop your kids screen time? Have you ever given thought to this question or you are just irritated when your children don’t listen to you and keep staring at the mobile or notepad screens? Today is the era of the internet and knowledge which is readily available all over the internet but the real problem is with the decision-making. Children at these ages can go in the wrong direction if not guided properly with this ample amount of knowledge. Continuous usage of mobile phones or laptops can cause serious health and behavioral problems which can cause serious damage in adulthood life. So this problem needs a careful solution where you need to guide them without too much resistance or being harsh on them.
Why Parents Should Limit Screen Time for Kids?
Let’s go further deep into why parents should limit screen time for their kids. Covid has increased digital consumption at its highest peaks. A lot of parents have raised concerns about their kid’s screen time. As per the recent survey by ParentsTogether, 82% of parents are particularly worried about the time spent by their kids on social media, and why not we all have heard the news regarding how bad influence social media can create on your children’s minds.
But like everything has a positive and a negative side, this era also has a lot of positive sides. If this screen time is utilized correctly a lot of information is available over the inter that kids can consume for learning, self-growth, or connecting with each other. All that is needed is the proper guidance from their parents.
HarmFul Effects of Too Much Screen Time for Kids
There can be n number of harmful effects of TOO much screen time for kids. If not being taken care of, these can be very serious. We have mentioned below some of the concerns that can be caused due to over screen time for kids
Lack of Physical Activity – This is the first reason which we would like to highlight. In the growing ages, it’s very important for kids to be active physically and mentally both. But with the increase in screen time, or playing video games online, the outside time of the kids gets reduced which can impact their overall growth, issues with the eyes, and their social skills.
Mental Health – Already you must have heard or read the concerns experts have always shown with the over usage of digital devices and social media and how they can impact our mental health and can lead to depression.
Cyber Crimes – With the rise of the internet there has been a rise in cyber crimes with kids which definitely needs to be taken care of.
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How Much Screen Time is Right for Kids?
There is no right answer to how much screen time is right for kids. Most of the parents must have their own numbers for this question, but still, we will say no screen time below 18 is the best which is not possible. Under proper guidance, we will suggest avoiding any screen time for children under 18 months old. For kids under 2, it has to be good quality watch time limited to an hour or so, and for ages 2-5 experts tend to suggest limiting screen time to an hour or less per day. As kids grew older their time of consumption can vary a lot.
But with all these, we do have some suggestions that can help you to Limit Your Children’s Screen Time without being harsh or putting some very strict rules. These are all strategic suggestions that one can implement and can track the progress
7 Tips to stop screen time for kids
Before giving any tips to stop screen time for kids, we would like to suggest that parents themselves can avoid some screen exposure in front of their kids. We should form an example that kids can follow. A guy while smoking can’t create awareness against cigarettes.
1- Set a Limit for Screen Time for Kids
Evaluate the correct amount of screen time your kid should have and set a limit so that you or your kid doesn’t go with the flow. You can use some app or even a reminder to have it under control. But this shouldn’t be forced which we will explain in the next point.
2- Don’t Just Force Limit for Screen time for kids
Don’t just force your process on them rather explain to them what this limit means, how this can be helpful, and why it is important. This way they will understand your reason and eventually will agree to it. Forcing our ways on kids never works or even can cause altered routes which can cause more damage.
3- Make a team with your kid
Make a team with your kid for this. Since you have explained why this is so important make it something which you both will follow. This will help them to remain motivated for this activity and they will have you more involved with them. This practice will help them learn life management as well.
4- Get Involved with them
This is the best and most important part of the process, get involved with them. Reducing screen time means more family time. Get more involved with your kids with all the home activities which you can enjoy. If it’s a game, storytime, or outside activity go for it.
5- Track their Screen Time
Tracking their screen time not just means the number of hours they are spending over screens, but also being cautious about which screen are they on. Rather than banning screens adopt kids-friendly devices where you can track their digital footprints and can guide them towards better web results to help them with their knowledge and growth.
6- Try Understanding their digital needs
This is also very good advice from experts. Rather than just saying no to the mobile screen demands try to understand why they need it and what they want to watch and try to provide an alternative to it. This will help them learn cognitive thinking and will help them to nurture the requirements and to learn the solution out of it.
7- No Device Policy
The last tip that you can follow is the no device policy which you can apply at home like no device at dinner tables, when enjoying family conversations phones should be out of reach. These habits will help cut down screen time not just for kids but also for adults and will help to have more good family time.
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Benefits to Stop Screen Time for Kids
So there are so many benefits to Stop kids screen time. This will help them manage their life. At this growing age this will help them with proper overall growth and will allow them to indulge more with the physical activities. It’s very important to help them with their emotions so that they develop correct behavioral growth which definitely can be hindered by overuse or incorrect screen time consumption.
Read More – 10 Essentials To Teach Your Kid Before Kindergarten
We hope this article will help you to manage your kids screen time with all the effective methods we have briefed above. With all the care and nurture your kid will embark on new growth and will achieve everything in life. We would love to know if all these methods worked for you or if you have tried something else and have worked to stop your kid’s screen time we would love to add it here for other parents to follow. Do follow Shishu Health for all printing-related tips and guides. Thanks. Happy Parenting.
