Teach Your Child About Screentime
This month we asked our community how do they teach children how to manage screen time?
It is certainly normal to have questions about the amount of screen time your child should consume and whether your family has a healthy and balanced approach to screen time. Screens are part of our life and form a big part of our entertainment as fun family time. As a parent I am fully aware I have little people watching my own screen usage and this allows me to model a healthy balanced approach to screen time.
We found these graphic's from The Contented Child, Child Wellbeing Consultancy from @BigLifeJournal helpful to explain this topic to children.
Screen time and screen use are normal parts of a healthy life for most children and teenagers. The time your child spends watching TV and using computers, gaming consoles, tablets and smartphones can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
It’s all about making sure of two things:
Children enjoy plenty of healthy, fun activities, both with and without screens, including physical activity, reading, creative play and social time with family and friends.
When children do use screens, they watch or use quality content.
And don’t forget sleep! A healthy, balanced lifestyle for children includes enough good-quality sleep.
Current national and international guidelines recommend that children under the age of two do not have screen time other than video-chatting.
Raising Children Network
Parenting Research Centre
Screen time does seem to be a little misused in younger children. While it can be a great tool and help a young person's education it seems that too much of it can dull creativity, become addictive and even encourage poor behaviour. Like any technology, it becomes a responsibility of the parent and caregiver to judge what seems appropriate amount of usage and the content they're exposed to. The younger the person is, the less they know about self-control, the long-term effects of the choices they've made and how what they see and do can and will influence their behaviour and decision making. Screens and technology are here to stay and are most likely going to become more widely used so it's beneficial for children to be taught not only how to use them though also how to use them safely, sensibly and with moderation as they mature into adults.
Nathan Van der Klugt
Rhee Tae Kwon Do Bundaberg