- 4 years ago
Make your child’s increased screen time valuable
Quality screen time is more important than quantity
It’s no secret, kids of the 21st century are spending more time looking at screens than ever before. Studies report that teenagers spend an average of 9 hours a day online while middle-schoolers spend 6. Few studies have also claimed that excessive passive screen use can negatively affect our children’s imagination. With several schools starting the new academic year with virtual classes, many parents seem concerned. However, we need to remember that as our children grow, they will increasingly find themselves in a world where screens are readily available at their disposal. Therefore, rather than worrying about the unknown, we need to teach our children to harness their screen time for good. Screen time is defined as the viewing or use of anything with a screen, including TV, mobile phones, tablets, video games, and computers. According to research, the activities of students on the screen makes all the difference. While too much passive screen time has shown to have adverse effects, active screen time can be beneficial!
How do we recognize the difference?
Passive screen time can include watching TV or Youtube videos, scrolling through social media, and even playing video games that don’t involve cognitive activities. Screen time that does not require kids to use their thoughts, creativity or support interaction, needs to be limited. Instead, we should encourage our children to spend time on activities that intrigue their rational and logical thinking. Cognitive or engaging in screen-based activities, such as playing video games or completing homework on a computer is considered to have a positive effect on their development. Usually called active screen time, this form of screen time can take many different forms. However, the deciding point to look out for is whether children are interacting directly with content and is it challenging their brain. Active screen time on the computer during school years is regularly associated with improvements in school readiness and cognitive development along with increasing attention span and motivation. By providing children with the right platform, a simple switch from passive to active learning can ensure that they continue their studies from a safe and secure environment.
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