Is Your Child Spending Too Much Time On Smartphone

Addiction to smartphones is growing, especially in young children who are spending too much time on smartphone. According to a survey conducted by APA, it was found that even though 94% of parents took at least one action to manage their child’s technology, 48% still found it hard to control their child’s screen time.

Before we talk about ways to help you control your child’s smartphone addiction, here is one piece of advice we would like to share – reprimanding children is not the right way to make them give up phones. Instead of saying-“Keep the phone away” or “Why are you always on the phone?”, you can try out ways that will make them forget the smartphone for a while. Here are some of the ways you can keep your child away from the screens. 

1. Storytelling

If your child says- “I am bored, please give me the smartphone”, try this out. Instead of giving them the smartphone to cure their boredom, ask them if they would like to listen to a story or would they want to do some craft work. You may even ask them to tell you a story which they may have heard from their teachers or grandparents. This will keep them engaged and also open doors to creativity. You may also include moral lessons in your stories or introduce a new technique of drawing or craft making.

2. Involve them

If your child wants to play video games on the phone or listen to nursery rhymes, you can try alternatives to keep them distracted. You can teach them basic skills such as ‘how to fold clothes’ or ‘how to keep the books properly in the school bag’ or ‘how to organise their bookshelf/ wardrobe/ toys’ or ‘how to clean their room’. This will keep them distracted from the phone for a while, and also teach them responsibility, engage them in helping other family members and strengthen family bonding.

3. Set limits

If your child wants to use the smartphone for learning purposes, you may allow that by setting time limit on the usage. Setting up parental controls or keeping an eye on the content they are watching can help them stay away from violent or explicit content and consume only appropriate content. You may even set a particular time of the day, when you allow limited use of smartphone for your kids.

Recommended reading: Internet and Children – The Dangers and How to Strike a Balance 

4. Take them outside

If you are a working parent, the chances are that you find time for your kids mainly during the weekends. Instead of staying indoors and watching cartoons or videos with your child on weekends, take them out to a park, museum or zoo. Take them to a place where they can enjoy and learn. This will help in keeping your child excited and eagerly waiting for the weekends; thus, keeping them away from smartphones at least on weekends and, in turn, controlling the time they spend on smartphone.

5. Encourage your child to make friends

If your child has friends of their age, they are most likely to spend their time away from the virtual world. Usually, when a child doesn’t have anyone to share their toys with, they get hooked to the screens. Teaching them the role of friends in their lives can help them learn the importance of bonding and compassion.

Recommended reading: 10 Picture Books To Teach Kids Important Social Skills

To conclude,

Yes, it is possible to keep your child away from smartphones, at least limit the use of smartphones. Hope these tips help you keep your child away from the virtual world.