The Millstone Times December 2018

KIDS Children and Screen Addiction By Lauren Kolacki

In 2004, I was in fifth grade. I would come home from school every day and there would be strict rules about my homework being done before I could go play outside. After rushing to finish my fractions, I would run to meet up with the rest of the neighborhood to play running bases, jump on the trampoline and climb trees until it was dinner time. I got my first cell phone that year but the only time I would use it was to call my mom and tell her I wasn’t ready to come home yet. I would leave it in my backpack for days at a time without even realizing. I always swore if I had children, their childhood would be like mine, full of fresh air and brief screen time. What I realized, after doing extensive research and countless hours of babysitting, is that society is not the same as it was in 2004. Technology has made astronomical growth, in ways that have benefitted education, medicine and much more factors of civilization. However, these favorable ad- vancements are accompanied by detriments on this generation’s health and brain development. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, children between the ages of 8 and 18 now spend, an average of 7.5 hours in front of a screen every day. This is an addiction that we need to get a handle on and it all starts with the boundaries we set at home. Monkey see monkey do. If you are spending the majority of your time catching up on emails, social media and texts when you are with your chil- dren, why wouldn’t they be allowed to do the same? Instead, determine certain times and places that are designated to screen time. Children are not allowed to have their tablet in the bedroom or at the dinner table, however, they can have it in the living room after they finish their homework. These regulations must be consistently enforced, and consequences must be applied have a child not abide by the rules. Make your children aware of the adverse effect’s technology may have. There are infinite resources on the rise of obesity, statistics on eye difficulties and the change in brain development. Have your children read up on this, you will be surprised on how this alters their need for their screen. Encourage screen breaks and encourage activities. They play outside for an hour when they get home. For every hour they watch TV, they have to then go outside for 15 minutes. In addition, limit one screen at a time. There is no need for your child to sit and watch TV while also scrolling on their tablet. It is important to incorporate these limits right from the start. It is easier to set rules than to break habits. With consistency and education, you can properly control your child’s screen addiction.

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