Monitoring screen use in children

La half of those of Spanish children under 9 years old has their own tablet, and more than 40% use it on a daily basis. These data are worrying. However, 7 out of 10 parents They admit to feeling unable to control the weather of screen use in your children. In today's post, Great Little People He tells you all the tricks, Tips and information necessary for you to find a healthy balance with these tools that are very present in our lives.

Effects of screen misuse on children

During the pandemic, both in adults and children, the screen handling increased considerably becoming excessive. There were many hours to fill in and it was one of the few entertainment options we had. It is also a resource widely used by parents to keep the little ones entertained and to be able to enjoy a few hours of tranquility. On a daily basis, we don't realize it, but there are studies that state that there is a relationship between childhood obesity and more than two hours a day of screen use by children. In addition, correlations have been found with difficulty sleeping for the use of the screens hours before, and a Desensitization to violence for games, movies or series.

With this information you will be realizing that parental control in technology is very important. How do we reduce screen use by children so that it's not harmful?

Tips for the healthy use of screens by children

As parents, children must be taught the responsible use of technologies, taking advantage of the benefits without abusing their use. Here we show you some Tips to educate in a responsible way in the technological field: - Avoid using screens before sleeping and in their rooms. This will result in quality sleep and concentration when doing homework or school activities. - Communicate with them. Inform your child about Internet dangers and how to react to them. There's no need to scare them, but they do need to be aware of the situation. We must make them understand that reducing consumption is not a punishment, but a way of doing other activities that are just as fun and/or necessary.

-Create a usage routine and use them in shared spaces such as the living room, the kitchen... Take advantage and play with them or interact with the content you are watching. -It is necessary to take into account the Overexposure to advertising on the internet. Therefore, offer previously downloaded content or review the age classification as its source.-Leading by example in addition to being informed. Children unconsciously imitate the behaviors of older people. The task of explaining to a child that they cannot use a device if their parents are glued to them all day long is complicated. In addition, you must be informed and aware of the technological world. Children learn very quickly and it's a very changing world. If you want to educate in this area, you have to know what you are talking about.-Parental control app. Nowadays, any device has a parental control system that allows parents to monitor the use of screens by minors. However, there are also many free and paid apps that allow you to control both the time of use and the content. Some of them are Youtube Kids, Nintendo or Google Family Link.

Screen control according to age

The management we do about the use of screens, especially during the first three or four years of life, will be crucial for them to understand and know the rules that exist with these devices.

La American Academy of Pediatrics has stipulated an age table with their corresponding time of possession.

• 0- 2 years. It is advisable not to use screens during the day.
• 2-5 years. Half an hour- one hour a day.
• 7-12 years old. One hour a day and with an adult in front of you. Never during mealtimes.

Benefits of good screen use for children

In previous Posts, we told you how the Good use of technology can be a powerful educational tool which encourages, among other things, self-taught learning, creativity or attention. In addition, if we combine technology, education and play, we can make children learn in an easy and natural way. This happens with the educational app Great Little World. Thanks to its method designed by teachers and specialized in children from 2 to 8 years old, our children will be able to learn English in a fun and simple way free of advertisements.

Great Little World takes into account the importance of good device management. For this reason, it has a exclusive area for parents where you can see the time of use and the contents that have been learned. In addition, it has the capacity to manage up to 4 profiles at a time.

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