Screen Time During the Coronavirus Crisis

What limits are appropriate when kids are stuck at home?

The early stages of COVID-19 pandemic were hard on all of us in different ways. It not only affected the mental health of adults but it also affected children making them feel isolated, anxious, uncertain and bored. One year ago, we shifted virtually. Practically everything, right from business meetings to schools, online birthday parties, weddings or be it funerals – and today it has become a part of ‘the new normal.
 
As the COVID-19 pandemic shows, we are increasingly reliant on digital technology. It has become a lifeline for all of us who are confined to our homes. But the question that always remains debatable is, “How much is too much’. Being a mother to an 8-year-old, we know the struggle is real to determine how much time is too much time. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to managing screen time, especially during the ongoing crisis. It becomes imperative to understand how parents and children can make the most of the increased reliance on screens -- which are helping to maintain a sense of normalcy during these difficult times.
 
Screens have become more embedded in our daily lives than ever before. But learning how to work with the devices in your household is key. Focus on the quality of your screen time, ask yourself what kind of positive activities the screen might be replacing, and set up realistic rules for your household. But remember to go easy on yourself -- we’re all just wading through uncharted waters.
 
There is no right answer when it comes to managing screen time during this ongoing crisis. The trick is finding the right balance. Here are some general tips that we can incorporate in our daily lives.
 

1. Setting a routine: Setting expectations and rules in your child’s daily life will help you save an everyday power struggle with them. Screen time can be good as well as bad depending on how and what people use it for. Setting aside a structured screen time routine can be a great way to manage your child’s time effectively.
2. Enjoy your meals without a screen: Eating meals in front of a TV, computer or cell phone not only adds to your screen time; it can also result in a distracted mind that can’t savour each bite. Sitting down together for a family meal is a great opportunity to unplug from the digital world and connect with each other.
3. Model healthy screen use: Not to state the obvious, kids learn better through observations. They are wired to model or copy your actions. If you keep your phone away from the dinner table or refrain from scrolling through your social media accounts during family time, your kids will follow. Additionally, this will allow you to spend some moments of mindfulness with your kids.
4. Brainstorm alternatives: Often we find parents telling their kids “what not to do” but we forget to tell them “what to do instead,” Psychologists recommends providing your child with a list of their preferred non-screen activities (like involving them in art & craft, reading or playing an instrument) helps to keep them meaningfully engaged. The list of activities that you create with them will serve as options that they could instead when they’re feeling bored.
5. Involve yourself: In today’s world where screens and the virtual world has become a part of our lives, try to include screen time as a healthy fun break from other physical activities. Including educational games, in their free time is one such way to make the experience more enriching. However, keeping a close eye on what your kids watch and allowing them some unstructured screen time can help as well.
6. Do not let it interfere with bedtime: Stop using electronic devices 30 minutes before going to bed as the harsh blue light that emits from the screen can interfere with sleep. Experts all over the world are of the opinion that keeping children away from the screen half an hour before their bedtime is of great help.

Some additional tips that we can incorporate in our daily lives like:

• Taking a day off and enjoying “No Screen Days a family” can help detox and prove beneficial.
• Stepping away from the screen at regular intervals. Try to rest your eyes for 5 minutes away from the screen for every 30 minutes of work.
• Giving your eyes a good stretch in between like blinking your eyes and using your palms to cover your eyes.

Always remember screen time should not be replaced by time needed for sleeping, eating, being active, studying, and interacting with family and friends. If your child’s screen time regularly disrupts his or her normal activities or family time, if they don’t enjoy things they used to, or if they have excessive tantrums or conflict over screen time or limits its time to seek professional help.

Activity: Enjoy a No Screen Day with your loved ones. You may probably want to choose any one of the following.

1. Host a game night with your kids and family members. Play some interesting Board games or card games with your kids.
2. Sort through old photographs, make a scrapbook of memories. It’s a great way to spend some quality time with your children.
3. Do a DIY experiment.
4. Write a letter to each other expressing how you feel or convey messages to each other.
5. Just relax and unwind: sometimes it’s good to not do nothing. Having a healthy chat with your child, reading a book with them and just taking a nap can be a great experience too.

Remember, it’s not just our kids who have problems switching off, so take time out from your screens and use these activities to create wonderful memories with your kids.

Image source-Freepik