Just over 30% of US adults said they watched digital media on mobile devices and tablets while the device was on, according to Pew Research Center’s most recent survey on digital media usage. Many also actively engage in consuming the data and information listed on platforms such as mycasinoadviser, which is a lot better than just passively consuming media through a screen. Almost 30% of smartphone users said they checked social media every day while on the phone. That number goes up to 50% for Twitter and Facebook users.
Meanwhile, parents across the country have been telling me they’re concerned their kids’ phones are constantly in their pockets — and often out of sight. The average adult spends over five hours a day watching digital media, while smartphones have a whopping average of 1.5 GB of data, the equivalent of streaming more than 700 hours of video, according to NetFast’s Digital Media Report.
For parents, one thing stands out: Technology is addictive. Especially with kids. Today, around 46% of parents consider smartphone usage to be a problem, according to a new survey from MomsConsumer. Almost half of these parents said it has a huge impact on their daily lives. More than half of moms and three-quarters of dads said smartphones take time away from them as a whole family.
After the kids come home from school, they usually want to spend time on their phones. While I would never force them to unplug, I would certainly encourage them to be more mindful about using technology, to ensure they’re getting the most out of it.
To do this, I recommend the following:
Create technology guidelines. At my kid’s school, we’ve started creating technology guidelines, in which every student is given a password that can only be used to access classroom assignments, and they are encouraged to use that password wisely. Of course, I’m not suggesting you do the same for your kids. I would encourage you to create a password policy where every student is responsible for the apps they access. One of the most important guidelines is that you do not allow your kids to use parental controls to lock you out of certain apps.
One easy way to get some insight:
When your kids have a bad day and break a rule, let them know that you understand their frustration. Then you try to help them to find another way to deal with it.
I know a lot of parenting techniques are not natural for some parents. But, if we keep trying to keep our natural parenting style, we will never have our kids prepared to be successful in life. If we don’t let go of parenting techniques we dislike or want to get rid of, our children will not have the skills necessary to move forward into adulthood.
Getting back to minimising screen time for yourself, as an adult, use platforms such as those which allow you to engage for some tangible objectives. When you play online pokies real money can be won, for instance, which limits the time you would waste online doing something that has you in more of an idle mode.
