One of the dilemmas of the modern world is excessive screen time for children and young people. Parents are very concerned about the negative results of prolonged exposure to electronic devices. However, journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer, columnist for The New York Times seems to have an opinion that goes against common sense.
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While many people might think it's more correct to shield children and limit their screen time, Melinda thinks the opposite. “We may want to, but we will never be able to protect our children from electronic devices,” she wrote.
The journalist wrote the book How To Raise Kids Who Aren't A****** (How to Raise Children Who Aren't Insufferable, in free translation). During her research, she found that parents of successful children don't worry too much about this. On the contrary: they embrace the screens and use them in their favor.
to the website Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), Melanie summarized the research into 3 tips you can apply in your home to make better use of your kids' screen time.
Explore apps and websites with kids. Read the reviews and descriptions together before downloading anything. Also, teach the little ones about concerns and what you want them to pay attention to when surfing the internet. If you find that any content offers scratchs, say that and explain the consequences of spending time browsing there.
It is normal to feel that we have little control over what children consume in electronic devices. So Melinda advocates setting some boundaries with them. She advises parents or guardians to talk to the little ones to establish some rules and expectations for digital use.
“You can create guides that create balance, and teach kids how to use screens constructively,” she wrote. "Plus, it helps prevent unhealthy effects that might grow."
The journalist also recommends considering: loss of sleep (setting a “curfew” for digital devices); security (whether children will be able to use the devices alone or whether there will be parental control apps on the devices); and fights (minimize these by outlining whether young people will need your permission to use screens).
It is important, stresses the writer, to let children also participate in the creation of this guide. For her, minors have to be open to talking about it with older ones.
Teach children that screens and technology are not bad influences. Far from it: they can be great tools for connection, learning, and even growth. There are applications that can teach our children the alphabet, colors, reading, learning another language and even syllabus of school subjects.
Melinda Wenner Moyer suggests that parents download educational apps and games for their children. This way, they can associate one thing with another and understand that that screen time can be used in a beneficial and fun way at the same time.
One tip she gives is to talk to them after using the electronic devices and ask them what they learned.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
