With the majority of kids in an age group of 4 to 16 years spending an average of 44.5 hours per week in front of screens, parents are increasingly concerned that compulsive internet usage is robbing these young souls of real world experiences.
This addiction is costing us an emotional and mental cost as parents and our children will pay for the same in the longer run of life.
Before it is too late here are few checks in place for all the parents wanting to put a check on their kids TV watching time –
- Address the problem
Talk to your kid about why the TV time needs to be in check. Tell them about what other activities can be done with the time that they have from their “OFF TV TIME”. As parents unite and talk to the kid in a manner that it looks like a serious problem and they look at ways of resolving the same. - Rearrange the furniture
Rather than allowing your TV to be the focal point, focus the furniture on something else, such as a cabinet, bookshelves, or window. Make it slightly difficult to watch TV, requiring an awkward twist of the head or shifted furniture so at your kid avoids watching television for the lack of comfort. - Time the activity
Turn on the TV only to watch specific shows with your kid. If they sit down in boredom and start switching channels in order to find something interesting to watch, the young one can waste a ton of time in the process. And, by all means, keep the TV off while eating meals with your family. - Hide remote/lock screen
WHEN young kids master the remote buttons, they jump rapidly from one channel to another. They are more likely to learn to concentrate, persist and learn from the content they are consuming if they are taught to watch on a TV without a remote control. - No screens in bedroom
SCREENS emit a bluish-white light that tricks the brain into thinking daytime even when we use them at night.Kids who watch TV within an hour of bedtime and during the night experience jet lag-like symptoms that make it harder for them to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake refreshed in the morning. In general, kids shouldn’t watchTV an hour before bed. And they shouldn’t have phones, tablets and computers in their bedrooms. - Provide alternates
It is likely that your kid resorts to TV for entertainment and passing time rather than moving somewhere and spending his/her energy. Engage him/her with:
- Sticker/coloring books
- Board games/toys/cards/Lego bricks
- Story books
- Art/craft/drawing materials
- Reading books
