Let’s talk about gadgets and if you allow me to ask you a question.
Do you play electronic games?
Yes or no.
Are you on the electronic devices most of the time?
Yes or no.
Let’s not deny. Once the electronic device landed on the kid’s hands, it is difficult to get it off. Even for adults, we can see almost everyone around us are on their phone or other electronic devices. What’s the impact of these devices have on our lives?
Positive Impact
It provides a cure to your boredom by entertaining you. It cures your curiosity by providing a Google search for you. It allows you to call or text someone when you need to. It allows you to get work done quickly whenever required without the need to head back to the office.
We have to admit. It is educational. More apps are being developed to help both kids and adults to learn. The learning aspects from a device are much more fun and interactive compared to books.
Online gaming is an IN thing, especially for kids. They get to compete and play with their friends without the need to travel and meet up. They get to an experienced the feeling of competition and manages themselves without realising it.
Negative Impact
You get addicted and it affects your personal life. Everyone is on the phone and no one is communicating, it destroys the human touch and connections.
Prolong use causes seizures and develop overweight people. Especially for children, it causes irreversible damage such as attention deficit slow cognitive development.
Gadgets also introduce depression if they spent too much time on it and not interacting with people. Humans still require human interaction so that you know how to think and act in front of a person and as a result, it also affects their moral values.
I won’t be telling you to stop gadgets totally but to create a balance and have control over it. With our evolving world, it’s tough to get rid of gadgets completely. Then how do we create a balance? What are the solutions?
Get out!
Get out and about more often. At least a few times a week. Have a forest bath, get connected to nature. These are all calming for the mind and the body. It is a great distraction for everyone and it helps improve your physical wellness.
Use it purposefully
I know is tough but if it’s for purposeful use, why not? Sometimes kids need to find ideas on how to create things or draw a picture. That kind of use, I won’t object.
Set time limit
Have a routine or a time limit for your child when they are using the gadgets. Set a time limit on the screen. Personally, I set an alarm on their iPad and when it rings, they have to stop. That’s our house rule.
If you find that alarm is not effective, try these apps:
1. Boomerang Parental Control
This app gives parents remote control of their non-iOS devices and is free for 14 days.
2. Parental Control and Kid Tracker
This is a screen time parental control app, app blocker, GPS locator, child tracker and family locator that enables parents to manage their family’s screen time and locate family members.
3. Screen Time Parental Control
This app catered for Android and iOS that lets you manage the time your kids spend on their tablets and smartphones.
4. Norton Family parental control
This is perfect for families with several children and protects up to 10 devices (PCs, Macs, Androids and iOS).
5. Qustodio Parental Control
This is an easy to use and reliable solution for parental control. It provides powerful monitoring tools and parental controls for things like screen time, adult content and games.
Nothing is good if you have too much of it. When things are used positively, it will have a positive impact and when it is used negatively, it will have a negative impact. Do be aware of your time on gadgets too because kids model their parents!
We welcome more tips and apps that are useful for parents if you have any to share. Do feel free to comment below!