There have been many developments in science and technology over the past few years. Advancements in technology have made their use easier for everyone. They have gained much attention and hype. The craziness of technology nowadays is insane.
People of all ages have access to the screen all around them. Today’s generation is very smart, especially in the case of technology, even children. Just hand a mobile or any electronic device to a toddler; they will figure out how to open it within a second.
But, it can’t be unseen that technology has created a somewhat rift between people’s relation either parents-children, husband-wife, or among friends. As per the report,
Some of the stats that may surprise you:
- Parents only spend 24 minutes more with their kids than on their phones.
- 42% of parents cannot remember the last time their family had a device-free meal.
- 52% of parents said their children had told them to put their devices away during meals.
Reasons parents need to put their phones down
1. Children whose parents are on the phone tend to be more negative and less resilient
It is undeniable that children express more distress and spend less time exploring their surroundings when their parents are all on cell phones. The children whose parents use mobile devices at an extreme level tend to be more negative and less emotional when their mothers turn off their phones.
2. Children feel unimportant and may feel they are nothing to you
As per the report, among six thousand aged between eight- to thirteen-year-old children, 32 percent said they feel “unimportant” when their parents use their phones during meals, conversations, or other family times. And, around half of the children said their parents spend too much time on their phones.
3. Kids may feel sad, angry, mad, and lonely when parents use their phones
As per the research, a thousand children between the ages of four and eighteen were asked about their parents’ mobile devices. Many children said they were “sad, mad, angry, and lonely” when their parents were on their devices.
8 steps parents can take to put down their phones
1. Create regular tech-free times
It becomes extremely important, especially for parents, to create some tech-free time. Keeping electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, and tablets out of reach during mealtime or before bedtime should be a part of your everyday routine.
To take a break from technology, making a tech-free zone in the house is a wonderful way for parents to spend quality time with their children.
Furthermore, you can also rule no digital devices in certain areas of your house, such as kitchens. You cannot properly connect with your kids if you are continuously on your phones while eating.
2. Set rules for yourself
Many parents find tech before the tech is not good for their mental health and do not allow their kids to have screen time before bed, but they do exactly the same when it comes to them. In fact, they are the ones who look at the phones first in the morning. So try to avoid such habits and only scroll the feed unless it is important.
Instead of scrolling the phones, there are some other better ways to spend your first waking moments, such as:
- Doing some exercise or yoga,
- Doing meditation,
- Writing a journal, or
- Going for a short morning walk.
3. Monitor your screen time
Parents often complain to their kids about screen time but forget to look at their own. Parents unknowingly spend too much time facing the screen, either for work or entertainment purposes. So, it becomes very important to track your screen time as facing the screen for too long is not good for your physical and mental health.
To track your internet usage, you can simply take the help of parental control software. You can choose by looking at their features, and select the one that suits your requirements the best.
4. Turn your smartphone into a dumbphone
Whenever you are home or on vacation, try to put your phone away from you. Most parents end up turning off the home’s internet connection, thinking there won’t be a distraction from outside the world.
However, your kids may want you to watch some movies with them. There you require an internet connection. It is a better idea to turn off your phone or log out of all your social media instead of turning off your home’s internet. Or, you can utilize your phone setting to use your phone as a dumb phone with just calls, messages, or email if preferred.
5. Spend some time with your kids
Every time being on your phones or laptops, working facing the screen for too long, or discussing with other employees about your work or other kinds of stuff online whenever you are home, you make your kids feel bad and sad.
Your kids may have lots of things to share with you once you are back home, but if you continue your work even after being home, your kids may somewhat maintain distance from you, which may ruin your relationship. So, try not to mix your office life and personal life.
- Better keep your work up to your office,
- Spend quality time with your kids asking how their day was.
- Moreover, you can also interactively use technology.
6. Aim for balance
Undoubtedly, the world is becoming only more digitally-driven, and technology will stay forever and keep upgrading. Technology has a lot of good things to offer today’s generation of people. It can empower people of all ages with comfort and facility.
Keeping all the negative impacts, maintain a balance between online activities and offline in your mind. You can follow the certain tips mentioned below:
- Make a routine covering screen time and family time.
- If you are using a phone or other device, if possible, use it with your kids together.
- And talk about what they see, ask them questions related to it.
For instance, if you watch the news or cricket on your phones, ask them whether they know about it. By doing so, you engage them face to face along with enjoying your time.
7. Be a good role model for your kids
Without a doubt, kids copy everything you do around them. They try to mimic every single habit of yours. They think that parents are always right and that whatever they do is always good. Thus, children try to act or do the same thing you do. As per the article published in Pubmed, parents of young children pick up their phones almost 70 times a day.
So,
- Try to put your phone away whenever you are dining with your child.
- Teach them a good dining habit.
- Do not be on your phone whenever you are home from work.
- Try to spend some quality time with your loved ones.
8. Lock your phone for a certain time
Certain apps allow you to lock your device for a certain time. You can simply schedule when the phone will be locked or shut down the device when it crosses the screen time limit for a day. Such apps are more appropriate for your kids. However, adults can still use it effectively to reduce their screen time or overuse of phones.