Whether they're watching educational programs, playing games, or even browsing age-appropriate websites, children's use of electronic devices is beneficial.
However, their continued use of these devices for an extended period of time can be a serious concern for parents, which requires them to learn how to use meaningful methods to reduce the time they use electronic devices excessively.
The dangers of using electronic devices for a long time
Children's use of electronic devices for long periods of time may have multiple negative effects such as sleep problems and weight gain.
And children using the device right before bed can lead to problems concentrating. In addition, children who spend a lot of time on phones are less active, which leads to weight gain problems.
Children can also get into a lot of trouble online if they are not careful. It is easy for them to be tricked into having their accounts stolen or bullying that affects their behaviour.
Although the exact duration of children's use of devices is still under study and has not been fully agreed upon. However, the general rule is that children under the age of 18 months should not use any electronic devices except when communicating via video calls with family members.
Children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years must have less than one hour and this is limited to education only.
The American Psychological Association notes that young children do not learn much when using electronic devices because they are not sophisticated enough to understand what is happening. Unlike older children.
It is up to parents to decide the appropriate length of time for their children to use electronic devices outside of educational purposes.
Tips to reduce children's use of electronic devices
Turn off the wireless network at specified hours
One of the direct ways to regulate the use of the Internet at home at night, while studying or eating is to turn off the wireless network. It must be ensured that your child does not have the ability to restart the network again.
Banning children from using electronic devices at certain times
If you find that your child is constantly using the phone or tablet at home to browse, play games or watch content. You can tell him that you take the device from him at certain times during the day, especially before going to sleep or when eating.
Use parental controls
There are many parental control tools and applications in many devices and some operating systems and services that they include. For example, in content streaming services, parents can set a limit on what children can watch and limit what they can access. You can also learn how to use parental controls in different operating systems, applications, and services by visiting this link .
Activate Screen Time
There are several ways in which you can limit children's use of electronic devices for a certain period of time. And restrict access to applications after a certain period of time. And if your child uses an Apple device, you can see the following article: How to limit screen time for you and your children on Apple devices .
For Android phone users, you can use the digital wellbeing tools provided by Google for various devices and services. You can check out the following article: How to Use the Digital Wellbeing Features of Samsung Galaxy Phones and the following article: Using the Bedtime Feature on Android Phones .
And if you are looking for apps to adjust screen times, you can check out the following article: 5 new apps from Google to reduce your smartphone usage .