Can you believe 53% of children by the age of 11, have a smartphone. The rate of increasing smartphone holders for teens is even high at 84%. The world is experiencing a whole new environment of gizmo wherein a day will come for a toddler to have a smartphone in his hand. The entire scenario is scary. As a parent, we want to limit screen time. We are aware of the repercussions of sticking to the screen for long hours. Are you looking for how to limit the usage of smartphones, read further to know how you can reduce screen time?
Smartphones have become vogue, and as a parent, we cannot avoid giving them. However, we can certainly reduce screen time.
Recommended Screen Time By Age
We cannot deny that the pandemic made our children use the devices much more than the recommended screen time. Now, that we are slowly surpassing the phase, it is time to do a reality check on the screen time. Below is the recommended screen time by ageper day-
·Less than 2 years- No screen time
·2 to 5-year-olds- up to 1 hour
·6 to 10 years old- up to 2 hours
·11 to teens- up to 3 hours
As a parent, we aim to go for lesser hours and more physical activities.
5 Way To Reduce Screen Time
The worry of a parent is legitimate. There are several ways to reduce screen time, following are a few of them –
1. Read Books With Them
Firstly do not expect your child to listen to you instantly. It will take some time. Make it a habit to read books together. Arouse the interest in the child. You may read your choicest book and let your child choose his book. Share a few anecdotes with them, and laugh out loud. Make it a happy session, especially during bedtime.
2. Limit WIFI
Children will browse their devices when there is WIFI. How about you deny access to them? Routers do provide the feature of scheduling access time. You may do the same or turn off the WIFI. There are little children can do with their phones. In the end, they are bound to look for other activities to keep themselves occupied.
3. Set Proper Routine
A proper routine will help you surpass the situation of excessive screen time. Make it a routine to avoid screen time at least 30 minutes before going to bed. No access to mobile while dining. Set a timetable wherein children can use their cell phones for a limited time. It is a win situation for parents and children.
4. Play Outdoor Games
Encourage your child to go outdoors as much as you can. Introduce new games. Play with them. Motivate them to make new friends. The adrenaline rush is imperative for a child. It will help the child to feel energetic and lively throughout the day. If the need is to put your child in some sports, let them take it as a hobby.
5. Parental Control Apps To Reduce Screen Time
Parents can get access to apps to limit screen time. It helps you to understand your child’s smartphone usage. Apps like TiSPY provide you with a single dashboard. Here you will be able to see the hours your child was active on social media, posting photos, calling, and more with accurate time and place. Such apps provide proper parental control over a child’s phone usage.
Why Should Parents Reduce Their Child’s Smartphones?
Usage of extreme screen time affects the overall charm of a body. The following are the effects of excessive screen time.
1. Disturb The Sleep Cycle Of A Child
You will often notice children are not fresh in the morning despite sending them to bed early. The browsing of social apps, chatting with friends, watching videos, uploading photos, and similar other activities vanish the sleep of a child. It results in sleep deprivation and disturbs the routine and the sleep pattern. It further results in poor concentration and mood swings.
2. Damage Child’s Eyes
Light emission from the devices is the main cause of children getting their eyes damaged. Children at night tend to scroll their smartphones, making their eyes adjust to the light. Studies reveal that too much screen time, especially with smartphones affects macular degeneration. It bypasses the pupil and the cornea and beams straight to the retina.
3. Social Fear
With social media apps on the mobile and continuous scrolling, children forget the outside world. Although they are chatting on social media apps, in the real world, they are lost. You take them to a social gathering, and you will find instead they are busy scrolling their mobiles instead of mingling with the crowd. The social fear comes in making your child anti-social. You should spy on their social media apps.
4. Affect Child’s Memory
A new finding reveals that too much talking on the phone and holding the phone near the right ear disturbs the memory. The radiation from smartphones affects memory impairment. Dr Devra Davis, PhD, states that the bone marrow of a kid attracts ten times more radiation than that of a grown-up.
5. Anxiety because of Lack of Sleep
Lack of sleep causes mood swings, disturbance in sleep patterns, and anxiety issues. Lack of sleep affects the emotional well-being of a child too. Therefore, excess worry, fear, insomnia, and anxiety disorders worsen the mental and physical health of a child. Such children are susceptible to meltdown and sometimes out-of-control behavior. Overall, scrolling mobile phones before going to bed must be strictly restricted.
How Screen Time Tracking Helps Parents to Protect Their Kids?
With the ongoing increasing usage of mobiles by the kids, there is no other way but to track their screen time. Applications like TiSPY assure parents of using mobiles without guilt. Screen time management helps parents to protect their children from ill elements.
1. Set Downtime
Do you want to sit relaxed while your child is on the phone? It is possible by setting downtime. You can select the time, the period, and the apps you recommend your child to use. You set the screen time of the app that your child visits often. The apps get automatically locked after the due period. Children are bound to look for some other activities to keep themselves engrossed. The benefit of setting downtime is it will give the desirable rest to the eyes.
2. Limit use of App
How about an app that allows you to set the timing for blocking applications after a while! There are instances when you think your child has had enough. You want your child to indulge in something else. Let’s say you see your child continuously on Roblox. By limiting the use of the application, you can block the application. As a result, the child forces himself to indulge in other useful apps or activities to keep him occupied.
3. Always Allowed Important Application
TiSPY App allows a unique feature of allowing apps that are a must for several types of communication. These apps can be dictionary to navigation, app market, clock, chrome, files, radio, maps, and several other apps that you think are necessary. It is easy to change the settings by simply going on the dashboard of TiSPY’s Screen Time header. You can allow applications you know your child will not linger much on.
Conclusion
There will be absolutely no need for any kind of app if the children know their limitations. It is best to share the recommended screen time by age with children. This way they will understand why parents worry and the consequences of disobeying them. A healthy mind and a healthy body will flourish by breaking the habit of carrying mobile phones everywhere.
Smart measures to ensure safe device usage by your children.
