Now, this is a big question. Before moving on to the answer, let’s consider a hypothetical yet common situation:
A four-year-old Ruhaan’s parents are overly appreciative and take pride in telling all the relatives, “He is so smart you know, at the age of four he knows how to operate a cell phone perfectly. All we knew at the age of four was, how to catch a ball.”
Three years later…
Seven year old Ruhaan’s parents to his school counsellor; “Ma’am this boy is always on some or the other gadget. Either on a cell phone or on the laptop, and if not anything else then television. His concentration levels have dipped drastically, and he just doesn’t sit with books for more than ten minutes. In fact, he can’t sit anywhere without a gadget for more than 10 minutes.”
Ok so…not a very uncommon scene these days. Something is amiss here. To get to the roots, let’s try to understand what’s acting as a termite to the normal brain functions like; attention, concentration, memory etc. We are all aware that these gadgets emit harmful radiation. These radiations are detrimental to our brain’s higher mental functioning.
Read More: Understanding Technology’s Impact on Mental Health
It causes memory loss, lack of concentration, and lowered attention span along with many chronic physical and postural issues. If this is what happens to adult human health, one can imagine well its ill effects on a child’s physical and mental well-being. So, the most effective way to handle this situation is, to “watch your own mobile usage.” Do not worry that your children do not listen to you, worry that they are watching you. Avoid using cell phones in front of your children, if not completely, at least minimise their usage.
Coming to the usage of internet, which is the next most dangerous termite effecting mental well-being of the children today. With internet becoming so popular even for the school projects, it gets tough to draw a line as to how much usage is ideal. As a parent, one should be aware how and in what ways can internet be misused, and its potential dangers. An insight into this aspect will help immensely in protecting children.
Read More: Psychological Impact of Deepfake Technology on Trust and Perception
Parents should “talk it out” with their children about the potential dangers of internet usage and keep these points in mind as a parents:
- Instruct your children to never enter any unknown chat groups or not to chat with unknown people.
- Warn them against sharing any personal information, address, school etc. with strangers or online friends.
- Warn them against sharing any picture of themselves unless they know the person.
- Never allow webcams to be used by children alone.
- Children should be using computers in the open where parents can observe and monitor.
- As parents, one needs to monitor all the sites the child is visiting, making sure nothing irrelevant is being accessed.
- Most importantly, decide on the time your child can use the internet, for example, 45 minutes, thrice a week, depending on the child’s age and academic needs.
- If you make your child understand the dangers of using the internet in an unsafe manner, and if they understand that it is for their protection, they will be inclined to listen to you.
Happy surfing and happy parenting!
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