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Our years were easy, weren’t they? We had puzzles and outdoor games to keep us occupied and our parents could keep an eye on us without batting a lid. We had fixed TV timings and we could never take the (wired) phone to bed. Smooth.
Times are drastically different now and among the biggest worries a parent has is the smartphone. The phone may be smart but it comes riddled with trouble. And, our kids? Our kids do not want to hear a no.
One might argue that kids need a phone to keep safe and for parents to always keep track of where they are but it doesn’t end there, does it? There are pitfalls. The child is more interested in the phone than in his surroundings (thank you, social media), he uses it in his bed until who-knows-when, and exchanges texts that are pure nonsense.
According to a recent study by an organization named Common Sense Media, 41% teenagers are addicted to their smartphones. It is possible that your child is one of them. Again, it can be infinitely hard for you to keep your child away from the phone but the strings are still in your hands. You can control their usage and alleviate their obsession. Still clueless? Let’s go over a few easy ways:
Cut down your own smartphone usage in front of the kids
Yes, this one’s been repeated constantly but it is bang on. Let’s not waste time denying our own love for technology, here. Let’s accept facts and work towards changing our own behavior.
Many things may have changed through the years but the fact that kids pick up most habits from parents remains true to this date. The more your kids see you on the phone, the more they will stick to theirs. Keep your phone away when kids are around and engage them in conversation, activities, and more. Set a good example so that you don’t hear back talk (annoying, isn’t it?) or feel guilty when reprimanding your children.
Make sure their schedule is full (but don’t suffocate them)
Let’s go back to our childhood again. We had sports camp, math club, painting, dancing, and what not. There was so much beyond the TV. Happy days!
Encourage your child to participate in different sports and activities. Swimming, music, arts – you name it. Explore his talent or interest and boost it. This will not just give him less time to be on the phone but it will also keep him fit, extend his neurons, and engage him in many different things. Talk double strike!
Make your child earn his time on the phone
Kids love their smartphones but you already knew that. This is around the time when you get a little crafty and use this to your advantage. Make smartphone use time a reward; make your child earn it. Be it daily chores or homework or behaving oneself during a get together, time on the phone is the best incentive for today’s kids.
The trick here is to never make your child feel like he/she truly owns the phone. It should be clear that you are in control and you can take the phone away just as easily as you gave it to him/her.
Another thing that works is setting rules right from day one. You ought to set fixed timings for phone usage. You can take the phone away during the night. You must, in fact. Phones are the number one reason why kids don’t get enough sleep and we are not going to waste time discussing the repercussions of that.
Limit data usage with prepaid plans
This is another step towards controlling smartphone usage. Choose prepaid SIM cards so that they usage is minimal and they learn the value of being penny-wise. Another double strike!
Now, don’t get carried away with good behavior or mollycoddling from your little one. He will try everything possible to extract a better data plan or more talk time out of you. Stay firm. (You can do this, yes!)
Use technology to beat excess use of technology!
Only a diamond cuts a diamond. Being strict can only take you so far in this superfast-paced world. To be a step ahead you will have to take additional steps such as enabling the parental control features their smartphone offers.
Android and iOS phones provide their own ways of parental control. Android allows you to restrict what your child can see in the Play Store. iOS, on the other hand, has a dedicated feature to limit your child from using certain apps as well as accessing content on the App Store.
Also, always, always knowing the phone’s password will help you to a great extent. Set this as a ground rule even before you buy your child a phone and he will be in line right from the beginning.
Call it a necessary evil or a modern day curse, you cannot keep your child away from it for too long. Be analytic as a parent (since you know your child the best) and know when the right time to give your child a phone is. After that, all you have to do is be aware.
Smartphones are not as bad as they are portrayed! Don’t you think so too? We’d love to hear your side of the story. Do tell us in the comments section.
