Is Managing Kids' Screen Time a Good Idea?
Screen time is a big topic of conversation in today's households, particularly during the pandemic when online education hours have multiplied for many students. . They hope to spare their kids from the countless challenges that technology can bring. Yet the challenges of screen time overuse seldom come from kids' devices themselves, but rather from the tense relationships that technology can bring to families. . But technology has positive benefits too. Since every child and family is different, managing screen time calls for joint family decision-making.
If parents believe they can manage a child's screen time through adolescence, they are not only fooling themselves but also inviting relationship trouble with their teens. It is a myth to think that parents can or should manage their kids' screen time through authoritarian restrictions, even during elementary school. . When children are left out of those decisions, they often become less communicative with parents and siblings. This is the opposite of what parents want to achieve.
. From early ages, children are quite capable of understanding that a good life involves awareness and balance. Just as they learn right from wrong, and good from bad, they can also learn to use technology in healthy ways. Learning how to regulate oneself and develop healthy behaviors is one of the primary tasks of childhood and adolescence. What happens when an adult tries to regulate a child is that the child misses out on the opportunity to learn for themselves. Enforced restrictions can also make children feel helpless and less confident.
To be clear, this article is not suggesting that families never use apps or trackers, or that there should be no restrictions on screen time. . Parents should give voice to children and involve them in the planning and decision-making process.
A. Of course, there are websites that are unhealthy for kids to access.
B. The alternative is to involve children in decisions that govern screen time.
C. However, every family needs a family media plan between family members.
D. The goal is to see, hear, feel, and understand how children view screen time.
E. To manage children's screen time, parents have invested in apps and trackers.
F. To get children involved, parents should trust and develop kids' self-awareness.
G. What it is suggesting is that parents look at managing screen time in a different way.
