“Really? Should we not give mobiles to our kids under two years of age? But Ramit doesn’t eat without watching Paw Patrol,” exclaimed Mrs Khanna. She has come for an OPD consultation for Ramit, her 18-month-old son, but was surprised at this particular piece of information shared by the doctor. Assuming a lot of you are equally surprised, especially the first-time parents, let’s understand a bit more about screen time, social media, gaming,and their effects on children.
Delayed speech, hyperactivity, and poor social skills are a few of the immediate effects of viewing screens (mobiles, tablets, TV, laptops) before the age of two years. What about after that? The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP)recommends one hour of supervised screen time for children six years and below. The lesser, the better. Above six, this stipulated time can be stretched to two hours. Infant IAP clearly states that any amount of screen time hinders sleep, physical activity, social interaction, food habits, or lifestyle of the child; it is deemed excessive.
Some of you may be wondering, even if we know this fact, it’s of little use. Children don’t eat, don’t sleep, sometimes don’t poop without watching their favourite cartoon. I understand that parents introduced their kids to cartoons. They can also help manage and reduce screen time. Finding balance can be challenging for everyone. All it needs is a clear and effective strategy. Before we know more about it, let’s find out why screen time is so addictive.
Children love colours. They admire sudden changes in the situation. They are high on energy. Where can they find all that? Games, cartoons, and social media interaction. Not to forget FOMO and FOBLO add to its addiction. What if they see more colours around them? That can drain their energy, too. Traveling, drawing, painting, and even helping with cooking and shopping can draw your child’s attention. Creating smart “digital citizens” by defining boundaries of social media interaction can, in turn, be more beneficial.
But how will you make them responsible digital citizens? Just speak to your child regarding good manners before permitting them to use gadgets. You must formulate clear rules about the online content usage. A few good online manners to get you started are: Follow the golden rule of interpersonal relationships; treat others as you want yourself to be treated; Never post hurtful messages; Disagree politely; Do not use all caps while typing, as it implies that you are screaming; Do not post private information such as home address and password; Never meet a digital friend in person alone whom you have never met before. These effective rules, if communicated politely and firmly, can serve you well in long way.
Remember Mrs Khanna? She listens to all this advice by the doctor and goes, “ All this sounds so good in theory, what about the emotions of a parent? What would I do when Ramit cries and refuses to finish his meal? It is a common query. Now the child is accustomed to watching mobile and eating. It is a core habit. If this is disrupted, he feels uneasy. The best way here is to switch the cartoon from mobile to a bigger screen. This increases his field of vision. And slowly distract him by observing other things in the surroundings. Play music, or rather, create a game. Children, unlike adults, are very flexible and free-spirited. Partially convinced, Mrs Khanna nodded in agreement but quickly asked,“What about when he grows up?”. You can always come back for guidance replied the doctor.
To round off this discussion, here are a few red flag signs of screen addiction that requireprofessional help.
1. Compulsively uses media,
2. craves for it,
3. has lost control over its usage,
4. gets violent when asked to stop its use,
5. continues to use despite adverse consequences such as a drop in academic performance and loss of friendships.
