Posted on 25th December, 2023 at 7:03:50 AM
Today, concerned parents are much more aware of screen involvement or their kid’s involvement with electronic gadgets than any other thing, from very prime age to preteen and from preteen to young adults, children are messing with their lives and crossing their behavioural limits with parents or other family members just to keep their involvement well-watered.
Dr Sagnik Mukherjee, the best psychiatrist in Kolkata says “It is not that parents are not concerned but the problem is they hardly know what to do in order to extract screens from their child’s life, it is everywhere, and after this COVID19 situation, everything is happening online, it increased the involvement of screens with children”
How it affects:
EFFECT ON SLEEP: Screen viewing, specifically on portable devices, has a negative effect on the number of sleep children of all ages get, but more so in children under the age of ten.
EFFECT ON ACTIVITY LEVEL: In some studies, obesity has been linked to excessive TV watching as a child.
EFFECTS ON COGNITION: Studies suggest that kids who spend more than 2 hours per day looking at a screen score lower on thinking and language tests.
Step One: Have a Family Meeting to Create a Plan of Action
The first step is to talk through the decision with the family. What is the reason you want to reduce screen time in your home? Do you want to spend more quality time with your children, avoid the negative effects?
Recommended plan for all ages:
Toddlers: focus on physical playtime for babies and toddlers and only use educational media with young children 18 months and older.
Ages 2 and 5: screen time should not exceed one hour per day and needs to involve the parent who can help their child learn from educational programs.
Ages 6 and older: Place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviours essential to health.
Ages 10-18: no more than 1-2 hours of total screen time per day.
Step Two: Plan for a Day to Initiate Rehabilitation
Choose a date, in advance, to start your action plan. This will give your children time to prepare and come to terms with the new lifestyle routine. A consult Psychiatrist is required. Kolkata Psychiatrist, Dr Sagnik Mukherjee is the best child psychiatrist in Kolkata. You can call or Whatsapp him on 98313 13020 to book an appointment at our Kolkata Psychiatry Clinic. We assure you that you will be in good hands.
Step Three: Make a list of “Things to do Instead”
Step Four: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Step Five: HELP Your Kids Play
Step Six: Model this Behavior
You can’t expect your children to be all for this new lifestyle routine if they see their parents constantly on their phones or devices.
