We live in the technology age, and it is difficult to say whether or not a child’s screen time is excessive. If that isn’t enough, while we know where we are now in terms of technology, there is no telling what the future will bring. Many parents nowadays have grown up in a time where technology wasn’t a big part of our lives, and we are raising children who were born into one of the greatest technological booms humanity has seen. It’s a part of everyday life for them!
Studies have shown that children and adults who partake in excessive screen time can lead to attention problems, difficulty in school, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends television and other entertainment media should be avoided entirely for infants and children under age 2. All things considered we can’t entirely avoid the media age – but we can monitor our children’s media consumption. And it all begins with us as the parents!
Many of us are guilty of taking our kids out somewhere and putting them on a tablet or a phone so mommy and daddy can have some peace and quiet over a meal. Or if there is a long car ride, it is easier to have them playing games and watching movies over having them get fussy and needing to stop every hour so they can get out and play for 15 minutes. What can we do as parents to help set technological boundaries for our children?
5 Ways to Limit Our Child’s Screen Time
Walk the walk.
Having the T.V. on all the time for background noise, or constantly checking your phone, or binge-watching a Netflix series sets an example for your child.
Limit screen time.
Nowadays, there are apps on phones which have settings that limit the amount of time a child is engaging in screen time. Be sure to set those up!
Make use of parental settings.
Parental settings not only help limit the amount of screen time your child is on their phone, it also can restrict internet access, protect your child’s privacy, and control apps and content they are exposed to.
Set “Unplug” times.
Make sure you instill an “unplug” time in your home. This helps children explore other avenues such as playing with toys, playing outside, or doing arts and crafts or reading. The trick is, if you set the rule, you have to follow it too in order to set a good example!
Have tech-free zones in your home.
Tech-free zones can include spaces such as the dining room, bathroom, and/or outside.
In summary, raising children in a tech-savvy world is something which must be navigated with care. But as with most things, children will do what they see you do. It would be wise to follow the same rules you are instilling in your children!
About Little Human Scholars School in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full-day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full-day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno