The proliferation of tech in the home has changed how we all live our lives and it has also become a new challenge for young parents – one that our parents never faced. Research has shown that children as young as 2 are now using iPads on a daily basis and many parents are worried about the effect this will have long term. When something is so new it is often difficult to figure out the impact it will have but it better to be safe. Of course, the research is fresh about the impact of using these devices but it is still important to be mindful about the potential impact of their use on young children. This infographic from SuperCleaning Louisville examines how parents should approach this issue in more detail.
It is recommended that children under 2 should avoid all media so it is a bit unnerving that we see so many very young children using these devices. It seems that parents often use them as a way to calm a child but this can set a dangerous precedent. Letting tech control our children can be dangerous and even lead to tantrums and encourage addicting behaviour. It’s important for parents to understand the potential impact of these devices but it’s also worth keeping in mind that parents shouldn’t stress themselves too much as these devices are part of our lives now and that is not going to change.
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Problems from tech in the home
However, it is hard to argue that children using tech in isolation will be better off than children being outdoors and socializing with other children. This is why some experts believe spending too much time on devices such as iPads can have a detrimental impact on a child’s social skills.
The reality is that it’s about striking the right balance. You don’t want to be the parent who completely stops the use of iPads as sometimes this can be a vicious circle and lead to children resenting you and even result in them loving iPads and other tech more as you’re forcing them to be without it.
Let’s look at some ways you can take a sensible approach to children using tech in the home. One way to do this is to create tech free zones such as at meal times. Make the dinner table a sacred and a tech free zone. If you feel you need to exercise more control it is also possible to implement parental controls to limit your children’s use of these devices. Again, it is ideal not to take this approach as we want to teach kids to take a sensible approach to tech rather than forcing it down their throats.
Bad tech habits to avoid
One tip that we strongly recommend implementing is a ‘no screens in bedrooms’ policy as this can be a particularly bad habit. It can often lead to kids using tech behind your back and instead of sleeping they will stay up late to talk to friends or play games online. It is vital for young children particularly to get adequate sleep so if you’re only incorporating only one rule perhaps it should be this one.
Technology of course has a multitude of positives and it is important that children are immersed in it at a young age but remember that spending too much time on anything is bad. Why not keep bedtime for reading time and tech for weekends or holidays? It’s about striking the right balance and this will lead to happier and better balanced children.
Check out the full infographic now and hopefully some of the advice can be adapted so you can make improvements to how tech is used in your home. Enjoy!
