How can I monitor my kids screen time?

In today’s world, it’s important to introduce our kids to these fun and new technologies. But we need to make sure that they’re not becoming dependent on screens to manage behaviour. Because even though apps and the internet promise to provide educational games and resources, there is little evidence that they are actually beneficial to a child’s development.

Exposure to excessive screen time is in fact associated with attention and learning problems, lower academic performance, obesity and negative behaviour in children. Children should spend at least 60 minutes of playtime outdoors each day. That’s because outside time can reduce stress and anxiety. And kids get a better chance to build their strength and social skills when they are outside, too.

Yet a refrain I often hear from parents is, “All my kids want to do is sit in front of their TV, iPad or cell phone all day. I can’t pull them away!” So what can you do? How do you strike that balance so that your kids are spending their time engaged in a variety of ways that don’t all involve screens?

Here are 8 things that I’ve found work to limit screen time and keep your child (and you!) happy and healthy:

1. Set the example.

Kids are very perceptive. “Do as I say, not as I do” does not pass the sniff test with most. Parents must also follow house screen rules. Is one of your rules that no screens are allowed during dinner or family time? That means Mom and Dad shouldn’t be pulling out their phone to check Facebook or Instagram, either. Research shows that the more parents are absorbed in their own devices, the more likely children are to act out for attention. In order to help your child be more aware of the offline world, you need to give them opportunities to explore their community. Plan outdoor activities that will teach kids new skills. Biking, swimming, sports or camping are all great options.

2. Spend quiet time outside.

Electronic games and educational TV shows can exercise the brain, but they can also overstimulate it. Make a habit of taking a daily or weekly walk around your neighbourhood, or a walk in the countryside. Now that Summer is approaching try to organise sometime to go to the beach or a day by a pool, where the kids can have fun and relax. Avoid taking electronic gadgets to such activities.

3. Read.

Not all activities have to be done outdoors. Encourage your kids to read more by giving them a list of books to tackle over school breaks. Besides opening the door to different worlds, there are many more benefits of reading such as better speech skills, reading comprehension, thinking and more. Your local library is a wonderful resource for recommendations on age-appropriate books. And many libraries have weekly story times for younger children.

4. Play sports…and just play!

Organized sports are a great way to get children involved in team building. Plus, they get kids moving. Likewise, playing outside with friends gives children more chances to make new friends or build stronger bonds with old ones. This unstructured time with other kids also helps build social skills.

5. Have assigned chores.

Getting kids to help in with housework is great for both child and parents. Write down a list of chores and allow kids to cross them off once they are completed. There can also be incentive involved. For example, making the bed, helping with dishes, etc. could each equal 15 minutes of screen time. Your child will learn about responsibility. And you will save some time. Such chore lists and timetables work well for younger kids.

6. Keep screens out of the bedroom.

Screens should be kept out of the bedroom throughout the year – even over the summer and on school breaks, when there’s temptation to let some rules go by the wayside. Getting regular, quality sleep is important to your child’s mental and physical health and development. And research shows that the presence of a TV or small screen in the bedroom can cause shorter and less restful sleep. That’s why young children should not have tablets, cell phones or TVs in their bedrooms. And it is never too late to place those restrictions on older children and teenagers.

7. Schedule screen time.

Limiting screen time does not mean banning electronics altogether. But know that being in front of a screen does switch your child’s brain to passive mode. That’s why it’s important to schedule screen time. Save the morning hours for imaginative activities because that’s when minds are sharper. When it comes to allowing screen time, afternoon is best. This is when the sun is at its hottest and children have already exhausted themselves. Also try to make sure that the screen time your child does have comes in short intervals. I recommend aiming for 30 minutes and drawing the line at an hour, at most. Remember to have all electronics switched off at least two hours before bedtime as this helps them sleep better.

8. Relax.

Even if your family is always going with different activities, remember that it’s important to have some scheduled downtime, too. Boredom helps stimulate the creative processes in the brain, so do not be afraid of leaving periods of time on your calendar open and unbooked. Talk with your children to come up with a list of non-screen related activities they like to do. Then, when they are bored you can refer them to their list.

Screen time and time in the real world should be well-balanced. Be consistent, but not rigid in your rules. There might be days where a movie might run a little long or a new video game may make stopping difficult. If you have been limiting screen time, there can be a few occasional “treat” days thrown in. Remember these are recommendations – there is no magic number where bad or great things happen. The goal is to have healthy habits become a daily routine for your child and your family.

Deborah Sciberras

Anti Bullying Guidance Teacher

Kif nista’ nillimita l-ħin tal-iskrin tat-tfal tiegħi?

Fid-dinja tal-lum, huwa importanti li nintroduċu t-tfal tagħna għal dawn it-teknoloġiji divertenti u ġodda. Iżda jeħtieġ li niżguraw li ma jsirux dipendenti fuq l-iskrins biex jimmaniġġjaw l-imġiba tagħhom. Għalkemm l-applikazzjonijiet u l-internet iwiegħdu li jipprovdu logħob u riżorsi edukattivi, ftit hemm evidenza li huma fil-fatt ta’ benefiċċju għall-iżvilupp tat-tfal.

L-esponiment għal ħin eċċessiv tal-iskrin huwa fil-fatt assoċjat ma’ problemi ta’ attenzjoni u tagħlim, prestazzjoni akkademika aktar baxxa, obeżità u mġiba negattiva fit-tfal. It-tfal għandhom iqattgħu mill-inqas 60 minuta ta’ logħob barra kuljum. Dan għaliex il-ħin li jqattgħu barra jista’ jnaqqas l-istress u l-ansjetà, u barra minn hekk it-tfal ikollhom iktar ċans biex jibnu s-saħħa u l-ħiliet soċjali tagħhom.

Madankollu, spiss nisimgħu ġenituri jgħidu, “It-tfal irridu biss joqogħdu quddiem it-Televiżjoni, l-iPad jew it-telefon ċellulari tagħhom il-ġurnata kollha. Ma nistax inżommhom ‘il bogħod!” Allura x’tista’ tagħmel? Kif issib dak il-bilanċ sabiex it-tfal tiegħek ikunu qed iqattgħu l-ħin tagħhom f’diversi modi li ma jinvolvux kollha skrins?

Dawn huma 8 affarijiet li tista’ tagħmel biex tillimita l-ħin ta’ l-iskrin u żżomm it-tifel tiegħek (u int!) kuntenti u b’saħħithom:

1. Agħti l-eżempju.

It-tfal huma perċettivi ħafna. It-tfal jikkupjaw ħafna l-eżempju tagħna l-adulti. Il-ġenituri għandhom isegwu wkoll ir-regoli tal-iskrin id-dar. Hija waħda mir-regoli tiegħek li l-ebda skrins m’huma permessi matul il-pranzu jew il-ħin tal-familja? Dan ifisser li lanqas il-ġenituri jew l-adulti fid-dar m’għandhom jiġbdu t-telefon tagħhom biex jiċċekkjaw Facebook jew Instagram. Ir-riċerka turi li aktar ma l-ġenituri jiġu assorbiti fl-apparat tagħhom stess, aktar ikun probabbli li t-tfal jaġixxu b’imġiba ħażina għall-attenzjoni. Sabiex tgħin lit-tifel/tifla tiegħek ikunu aktar konxji tad-dinja offline, għandek bżonn tagħtihom opportunitajiet biex jesploraw il-komunità tagħhom. Ippjana attivitajiet fil-beraħ li se jgħallmu lit-tfal ħiliet ġodda. Rota, għawm, sports jew ikkampjar huma kollha għażliet sbieħ.

2. Qatta’ ħin kwiet barra.

Logħob elettroniċi u wirjiet tat-TV edukattivi jistgħu jeżerċitaw il-moħħ, iżda jistgħu wkoll jistimolawh iżżejjed. Agħmel drawwa li tieħu mixja ta’ kuljum jew fil-ġimgħa madwar il-viċinat tiegħek, jew mixja fil-kampanja. Issa li s-Sajf qed joqrob ipprova sib ħin biex tmorru l-baħar jew f’xi pixxina, fejn it-tfal jistgħu jieħdu gost u jirrilassaw. Evita li tieħu gadgets elettroniċi għal attivitajiet bħal dawn.

3. Aqra.

Mhux l-attivitajiet kollha għandhom isiru barra. Ħeġġeġ lit-tfal tiegħek biex jaqraw aktar billi tagħtihom lista ta’ kotba li jistgħu jaqraw speċjalment fil-vaganzi tas-sajf. Minbarra li tiftaħ il-bieb għal dinjiet differenti, hemm ħafna aktar benefiċċji fil-qari. Il-libreriji lokali huma riżorsa mill-isbaħ għal rakkomandazzjonijiet dwar kotba xierqa għal kull età. U ħafna libreriji għandhom ħinijiet ta’ qari  ta ‘storja ta’ kull ġimgħa għal tfal iżgħar.

4. Ilgħab xi sports!

L-isport organizzat huwa mod tajjeb ħafna biex jinvolvu lit-tfal  fil-bini tat-tim. Barra minn hekk, huma jkunu qed iqattgħu ħin jiċċaqalqu u jagħmlu eżerċizzju. Bl-istess mod, il-logħob barra mal-ħbieb jagħti lit-tfal aktar ċans li jagħmlu ħbieb ġodda jew jibnu relazzjonijiet aktar b’saħħithom ma’ dawk qodma. Dan il-ħin mhux strutturat ma’ tfal oħra jgħin ukoll biex jinbnew ħiliet soċjali.

5. Assenjaw xi xogħol tad-dar.

Li jkollna tfal jgħinuna fix-xogħol tad-dar huwa sabiħ ferm kemm għat-tfal kif ukoll għall-ġenituri. Ikteb lista ta’ xoghol tad-dar u ħalli lit-tfal jittikjawhom ladarba jitlestew. Jista’ jkun hemm ukoll inċentiv involut. Pereżempju, li tagħmel is-sodda, tgħin bil-platti, eċċ. ifissru 15–il minuta fuq il-mowbajl. It-tifel/tifla tiegħek se jitgħallmu dwar ir-responsabbiltà. U inti se tiffranka xi ħin. Dawn il-listi tal-faċendi u l-iskedi tax-xogħol jaħdmu tajjeb ma’ tfal iżgħar.

6. Żomm l-iskrins barra mill-kamra tas-sodda.

L-iskrins għandhom jinżammu ‘l barra mill-kamra tas-sodda matul is-sena – anke matul is-sajf u waqt il-waqfiet tal-iskola, meta jkun hemm tentazzjoni li xi regoli jitnaqqsu. Huwa mportanti li jkollna rqad ta’ kwalità għas-saħħa u l-iżvilupp mentali kemm tagħna l-adulti u kemm tat-tfal. Ir-riċerka turi li l-preżenza ta’ TV jew skrin żgħir fil-kamra tas-sodda tista’ tikkawża irqad iqsar u inqas mistrieħ. Huwa għalhekk li t-tfal żgħar m’għandux ikollhom telefowns ċellulari jew Televixins fil-kmamar tas-sodda tagħhom. U qatt mhu tard wisq biex dawk ir-restrizzjonijiet jitqiegħdu fuq tfal akbar u adolexxenti.

 

7. Skeda ħin tal-iskrin.

Il-limitazzjoni tal-ħin tal-iskrin ma tfissirx li l-elettronika tiġi pprojbita għal kollox. Iżda taf li l-fatt li tkun quddiem skrin jaqleb moħħ it-tifel/tifla tiegħek għal wieħed passiv. Għalhekk li huwa importanti li tiskeda l-ħin tal-iskrin. Prova ħalli s-sigħat ta’ filgħodu għal attivitajiet immaġinattivi, jew xogħol tal-iskola għaliex dan huwa l-iktar ħin li l-moħħ ikun frisk. Il-ħin ta’ wara nofsinhar hu l-iktar ħin idejali u opportun biex inħallu lit-tfal tagħna jużaw dawn il-gadgets. Dan huwa meta x-xemx tkun l-aktar sħuna  u t-tfal ikunu diġà xi ftit ghajjenin. Ipprova wkoll kun żgur li fil-ħin tal-iskrin, it-tifel/tifla tiegħek ikollhom intervalli qosra. Nirrakkomanda li nimmiraw bejn 30 minuta u siegħa l-aktar, imbagħad ikun hemm intervall ta’ xi minuti u jerġghu jużaw l-iskrins. Ftakar li l-elettronika kollha huwa idejali li tkun mitfija mill-inqas sagħtejn qabel l-irqad peress li dan jgħinhom jorqdu aħjar.

8. Irrilassa.

Anke jekk il-familja tiegħek dejjem tmur attivitajiet differenti, ftakar li huwa importanti li jkollok xi żmien skedat, ukoll. Li t-tfal jixbgħu u ma jkunux jafu x’ser jaqbdu jagħmlu huwa mportanti. Dan il-ħin jgħin jistimula l-proċessi kreattivi fil-moħħ, għalhekk ma nibżgħux li nħallu perjodi ta’ żmien fuq kalendarju tiegħek miftuħa u mhux ippjanata. Kellem lit-tfal tiegħek biex toħroġ b’lista ta’ attivitajiet mhux relatati mal-iskrin li jixtiequ jagħmlu. Imbagħad, meta jkunu iddejqu tista’ tirreferihom għal-lista tagħhom.

Il-ħin u l-ħin tal-iskrin fid-dinja reali għandhom ikunu bbilanċjati tajjeb. Kun konsistenti, iżda mhux riġidu fir-regoli tiegħek. Jista ‘ jkun hemm ġranet fejn film jista’ jkun ftit itwal mis-soltu jew logħba ġdida tal-vidjo tista’ tagħmel it-twaqqif diffiċli. Jekk kont qed tillimita l-ħin tal-iskrin, jista’ jkun hemm ftit jiem okkażjonali li jaraw l-iskrins ftit iktar mis-soltu. Ftakar li dawn huma rakkomandazzjonijiet – m’hemm l-ebda numru maġiku ta’ kif l-affarijiet isiru tajbin jew ħżiena. L-għan huwa li jkun hemm drawwiet b’saħħithom, issir rutina ta’ kuljum tajba għat-tfal tiegħek u l-familja tiegħek.

Deborah Sciberras

Anti-Bullying Guidance Teacher