Parenting in the Age of Screens

You may agree that today's life is simply impossible without displays and the Internet.

We still remember the days without gadgets.

But for our children, gadgets are something that has been with them since childhood.

And to be completely honest, we fall into those screens ourselves.

The problem is that we have turned gadgets into nannies for children by our own hands. What does mom do when she needs to cook dinner, relax or work? Gives children a magic device.

We also understand that if children are completely protected from screens at home, they will come to friends, to kindergarten, or to school, where their peers will have gadgets and interest will get higher anyways.

By the way, the best minds of mankind are working on the virtual world: they invest millions, develop games, create social networks and show the virtual world so beautiful and interesting that the real one sometimes loose colors.

But the real world is more than beautiful. Another question is how to teach a child to interact with it if he's not yet mature and can't use it wisely. This article and parental control app will come in handy, both are designed with the utmost care for your child.

Computer addiction is a problem that needs to be solved. You shouldn't fight and resist but solve it. And do it wisely, flexibly, and consciously.

So, what to do to organize the screen limit of your children correctly?

There is a working 5-step algorithm that helps organize screen time so that they don't feel limited, at the same time they'll have time to actively live real life.

Step 1: Become a parent captain. The parent decides!

In order for a child to obey, including gadget time control, it is necessary to build a foundation - to become an authority for him, it is the only way to control kids. The guardian parent is responsible for the child's safety and makes decisions. He does not dictate them, but from a position of love, care and comfort, you should organize everything so that the child feels safe.

In fact, gadgets have much more advantages than minuses, and you need to show them to your child.

The main task is to teach him the intelligent use of modern technologies so that he can succeed, develop and learn with their help. This way you can protect children and build a safe family.

You can't lead someone who doesn't want to follow you. And in order for the child to follow you, you need to go to the second step.

Step 2: Build a love-based relationship

To do so, you need to replace fear with love. Instead of taking away the gadget and quarreling about how you monitor child, you should watch a cartoon at the kid's place, discuss the characters and come up with an activity that will replace screen time.

After all, children fall into the screens due to the fact that they lose touch with their parents, and try to replace them with gadgets.

It seems like this: a child + gadget addiction = a problem, but in fact: a child + a problem = gadget addiction.

In order not to lose touch with children, not to replace their problems with gadgets, and at the same time, not to deprive them of screen pleasure, a third step is needed.

Step 3: Organize Screen Time

Three important things to keep in mind when organizing screen time for kids:

1. Parents organize screen time. Decides when, at what time, and how long the child will be at the screen. To do this, give the gadget to the child at the set time and pick it up when the time is up.
2. It is not necessary to limit screen time. The parents allow the child to use the gadgets at their own discretion and, as the parent-captain, you should limit app time for the purpose of caring for and protecting the child and this is how you should use kid monitoring.
3. What can be watched and what cannot is decided by the parent.

It is important to explain to your child that there's different content: for children and for adults. Adult content can be harmful, it scares and traumatizes the child, so the parent becomes the child filter and choose what to watch and what games to download.

The key point of this step is that it is the parent who helps the child fit into the rules and comply with the agreements.

Do not shift responsibility onto the shoulders of the child, support compliance with the agreements. Don't be afraid of tantrums.

As soon as screen time becomes predictable and habitual for a child, dissatisfaction on his part will disappear.

The child must understand that there is a screen limit, he doesn't need to beg for it, deserve it, or just worry about it. And when this awareness comes, its importance will immediately decrease. Why fight for something that is already available?

Follow the rules and use gadgets - that's what should be the main thought of the child.

When a child frees up time from gadgets, a logical question arises, what should he do off-screen? The fourth step will help answer this question.

Step 4: Create a child's life outside of screens

To get distracted from gadgets, use:

• hiking, picnics;
• visit friends and relatives;
• cooking together;
• sports and activities;
• hobby;
• reading books;
• drawing;
• needlework.

And most importantly - do not be afraid that the child will get bored and will need to be occupied. It is good for children to be bored, and you should not entertain them. During periods of idleness, creative skills and out-of-the-box thinking develop.

And in order for him to feel safe not only in the real world but also in the virtual one, the fifth step will help.

Step 5: Teach Internet Security

Prepare and familiarize your children with dangers before they could actually meet them.

To do so, here’s a little parent guide:

• enable kids mode on YouTube and Google;
• install programs such as child lock or kid guard that prohibit certain sites and block adult content also add a parental tracker to easy monitor kids;
• user control will help view browsing history on YouTube and browser;
• talk to children about possible threats and share kid location with your device;
• repeat safety rules and talk about adult content if you want “safe kids”.

It is a work of more than a single day or even a month, but the result will turn the child's life upside down because he'll be able to:

• take the best out of modern technologies;
• learn to protect yourself from harmful content and choose wisely;
• master time management and self-organization;
• will come to you if he has problems;
• learn to fully live in a new and rapidly changing world.