Worried that your child is getting too much screen time? Show them that entertainment doesn’t just come from devices

HONEST DISCUSSIONS ABOUT RESPONSIBLE DEVICE USE

Parenting experts have stressed the importance of open communication with their children from an early age about the use of such devices.

Some of the questions parents may ask themselves include: Why is he bingeing on screen time? Do they miss human connections and therefore seek companionship by playing and chatting with online friends?

Using this knowledge, Mr. Tantri suggested that parents and children can intentionally come up with rules together about how they would like to balance online and offline time.

To prevent future disputes, parents should also be transparent in discussing the types of content that are allowed and actively engage in a dialogue about their children’s media consumption.

Digital wellness educator and family coach Carol Loi said, “Be open about who your kids are following on social media—why your kids are following these influencers and what they’re learning from them.

“Listen actively and be open to hearing his perspectives. Building a culture of openness and transparency will reduce family disagreements because the focus will be on how to travel together.”

She added that when disagreements do arise, they can center on the values ​​the family holds dear. For example, they can talk about why or why a particular influencer is creating a positive impact on society.

Ms Lim, who is the mother of a 15-year-old, said she has been able to cultivate this level of trust with her son, who shows her his social media feed so they can discuss what’s trending and what likes to watch online.

Although he sometimes disagrees with the content he consumes, her son is receptive to a discussion on the subject.

For example, she wanted him to unfollow a gaming YouTuber’s channel because the influencer used a significant amount of profanity in his speech.

But her son assured her that he wouldn’t start cursing like the YouTuber. She carefully guarded his language, and since he kept his promise, she didn’t insist that he unfollow that influencer.

Mr. Tantri emphasized that parents need to make their children see that any dialogue comes from a good place and that they do not want children to be disadvantaged by the consequences of irresponsible screen use.

Parents should also adapt the rules at home as their children grow. For example, 12-year-olds usually need close monitoring and sensitive communication in explaining strict rules, while 16-year-olds need less because they should understand such rules and the consequences.

TIPS FOR KEEPING SCREEN ACTIVITY IN CHECK

Beyond conversations and setting limits, parents can also turn to a few common apps to monitor their kids’ on-screen activities, including Microsoft Family Safety and Google Family Link.

These apps allow parents to set screen time limits and filter out any inappropriate content that may be harmful to children of a certain age group.

However, parental control software is not foolproof. Teens can find ways to bypass parental control software by looking for loopholes in online discussion forums, and those familiar with hacking through their gaming and coding background are also likely to know how to handle technical situations such as deconfiguring the system, said Mr. Tantras.

Tech blog editor Alfred Siew added that parents would do well to change their passwords from time to time. He said his children figured out the cell phone passwords of other adult family members because the adults typed the passwords in front of the children.

“They have done this many times. This is problematic because they are logged in as adults and there are no parental controls,” he said.

Dr Jiow, who is a member of the Media Literacy Council, added that one of his studies found that a child installed a video camera in a strategic location in the home and was able to see the parent entering the password.

It’s not always easy to stay ahead of these techniques, but Mr Tantri suggested parents can start by thinking from a child’s perspective and understanding how they might choose to bypass parental controls.

When it comes to preventing the misuse of educational apps as a distraction, parents should take the time to check in with their children on their progress to determine if the time invested in these learning apps is producing the intended results, Mr. Tantri said.

Ms. Loi, the digital family educator, points out, however, that the most effective parental control software is “heartware.”

“Invest time and energy to build a strong bond… The best tools are the internal filtering and monitoring tools our children build for themselves, to discern for themselves what is good and what is bad, healthy or not healthy,” she said. .