Have you been in a situation where you wanted to have conversation with your child or partner but they were barely listening and busy with their electronic gadgets?
Per survey done by Deloitte, average smart phone user in US checks his mobile phone more than 47 times per day.
85% of Americans use their cell phone while talking to their friends and family !!
When you are trying to compete for time with electronic gadgets, it is easy to be upset and feel disappointed. It is not just impacting relationships, it is harmful and risky to ones health and safety.
In these circumstances, how can you raise kids or your family in a digital world and prevent technology addiction.
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Here is a 5 step process to ensure you are having healthy balance of electronics in your life, and you can claim your family back from electronics.
- Keep track of screen time and follow healthy screen limits:
If you do not keep track of your time how can you manage your time. Each electronic gadget comes with its own way to track usage and also to limit the usage.
For example I use setup in my iPhone and am able to limit any usage after 9:00 pm and before 7:00 am. Simillarly I am also able to limit usuage of certain application beyond certain time limit.
My sister-in-law has limited kid’s YouTube on her iPad to only 30 minutes a day. So when her 3 year old is watching YouTube, it stops after 30 minutes automatically.
Also Read: What is right age to give your child her own phone
2. Lead by Example:
Children is educated by what grown-up is and not by his talk – Carl Jung
Be the adult you would like your child to be.
Also Read: How to talk to your child about school day
3. Bring back family and friend time:
The other day I was driving my two kids and 4 of their cousins to a family outing about 1.5 hours away. Two of the older kids had their iphones. Because of this all kids were just looking at their cousins iphone and there was no conversation among them.
I asked both the older kids to put away their iPhone for some time. Luckily they both complied! We spent rest of the drive talking about school field trips, telling riddles and jokes.
Do not let your gadget steal your precious memories from you. Have your meals together on dinner table without gadget or even without Television.
It is easy to hand over phone to your child while you are shopping. But take some time and try to enlist help from your child during shopping. I have tried to give shopping list to my kids and have them pick up items for me. I also have them do total of the bill. This teaches them money management as an added benefit.
4. Replace screen time habit with healthy hobbies:
“The truth is you do not break bad habit, you replace it with a good one” – Do not try to break habit of reaching for your phone. Replace it with healthy habits and hobbies. Reading , music/singing, art/craft , spending time outdoors, gardening are great ways to relax and create healthy mind and body.
Also Read: 5 Hobbies to Prevent Technology Addiction
Also Read: Health risks of sitting too long and how to avoid those
Also Read: Is your child over scheduled?
5. Schedule screen free days:
From time to time give yourself complete break from electronics. You can take an evening off or an entire weekend or a whole week. For example, go on a camping trip without any electronics.
Also Read: DIY Digital Detox Destination – Hidden Gem in Texas
Helpful Resources:
How to reconnect our digitally distracted kids – If you believe your child might be addicted to her device then must have book.
Forest Feast for Kids – Very colorful and engaging Kids Cook Book to get kids involved in kitchen instead of staring at their gadgets
Photo Activity Book for Kids – Wonderful activity book for kids to learn and engage in a very creative hobby
