Technology is a wonderful thing, but it does have its downfalls. Having access to gadgets every second of the day has resulted in both children and adults spending upwards of six hours looking at a screen every single day. This is especially worrisome when it comes to kids. This increased usage of technology by younger children has been shown to contribute to attention problems, sleep and eating disorders, difficulties in school and obesity, just to name a few. In order to prevent these issues from occurring in your child, there are some steps you can take to get them to pay attention and find entertainment in other things besides tablets, televisions and smartphones.
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Observe your own relationship with technology
Your child learns nearly all of their behavioral habits from the people they spend the most time with, and that is clearly you. When you, yourself are spending hours of the day looking at your phone or tablet, your child sees this as “the norm”. Setting a good example but unplugging for more time in the day than you are plugged in will show your child that technology is not the only way to occupy one’s time.
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Make designated times for being plugged-in
Once you decide you would like for your family to spend less time using technology, it’s important that you communicate that with them. From there you can make a schedule that clearly states what times of the day it will be acceptable for everyone in the household to be engaged with their screens.
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Explore other means of entertainment
There are so many ways you can spend enjoyable time with your family besides all sitting in the same room doing different things on your tablets and phones. Try going on a hike or plan a day trip to the park for picnic. Regardless of what you enjoy doing as a family, you can have plenty of fun without the presence of technology.