In our lives driven by technology we have forgotten that it was made to serve us and not the other way around. We ourselves are so addicted to it that we fail to see our children following our footsteps.
While technology is a boon when used carefully it can become a sore addiction if not used with caution and we certainly do not want our children to be slaves to gadgets and gaming consoles.
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15 Tips To Unhook Your Kids From Technology
Here, we bring you 15 easy tips to help you unhook your kids from technology.
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- Allot time: Letting your kids use gadgets is not a bad thing unless you set certain time limit. Letting your kids play on the computer or play station console for half an hour a day is a fair deal. You could even let them use computer and play stations on the weekends for an allotted period of time. Same goes for television and electronic gadgets like cell phones and tablets
- Set Rules: It is important you set certain rules around the house like not using phone or gadgets during study hours or at a certain time of the day. Rules like entire family eating together with the television off and controlled usage of electronics at night time gradually into good habits
- Live up to your word: Once you set the rules, it is important that everyone follows them. Setting rules must be a long time commitment and not a fad. If the kids fail to follow the rules they must be punished. If you show leniency once, kids will take you lightly. Hence live up to your word so that the kids will begin to respect and take you seriously
- Be involved: To understand your children you need to be involved in their lives. Know their friends, their hobbies, their favourite games and T.V shows. Not only will your kids reciprocate to your said rules but it will also provide a strong foundation to build a healthy relationship with your kids
- Keep a watch: Trust your children but also keep a watch on their activities. Kids tend to get influenced easily hence we constantly need to monitor and correct them. While your kids are using cell phones, tablets or the computer peep-in time and again and know what they are up to, lest they drift away from what they are supposed to be doing
- Install software that restricts access: Internet is a dangerous place and your kids are innocent and vulnerable. There are certain things you don’t want your child exposed to. Hence, to restrain your children from accessing such sites, you can install softwares on your devices that will block certain sites. Read more on the subject here
- Set a password: An easy way to restrict access is to set passwords on your laptops, phones and tablets. This way your child won’t be able to use gadgets especially without your knowledge and consent
- Encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities: There are plenty of competitions and activities in schools nowadays. Encourage your children to actively participate in them. This will not only make them more outgoing and social but also keep them busy throughout that day. Hence keeping their minds off gadgets and technology
- Let them get out and play: The best way to stop your child’s technology addiction, is to urge them to get out of the house and play. Off late, children are glued to the T.V and phone screens. Reintroduce your kids to soccer, crickets, kho kho and other outdoor games. This will keep them active and make them outdoorsy. Read more on outdoor play and your child here
- Arrange picnics and outing: Another fun way to get your family off the couch is to arrange outings and picnics. A trip to the aquarium or the play zone will energize your kids and help them to see that there are more exciting things to do other than playing games on their x:box and watching T.V.
- Make staying indoors fun: Bring the good old board games out of the closets. Who wouldn’t love a nice game of monopoly or ludo after dinner. Play games and tell stories. These little things will get your kid’s mind off T.V and bring the family closer
- Inculcate new hobbies: Think out of the box. Your kid’s may not like reading but they surely will love story telling. There are plenty of hobbies to choose from be it knitting, collecting stamps and shells, making scrap books or origami. Try out new activities until your kids find something they love. Hobbies soon turn into passion and you will find your children investing more time doing activities than using the phone
- Give them ‘technology time’ as allowance: You do not want your kids to stay away from technology all together, you just want to restrict the time they invest on them. An effective way to ensure that is to reward them for good behavior and what better reward then access to computer and games. Just make sure that you monitor their ‘technology time’
- Remember, it’s just a phase: Even after all your efforts, you still find that your child is hooked to a particular gadget or a game, don’t sweat over it. Children are easily distracted. They may obsess over something for some time and then completely forget about it the next day. Hence, be easy on them and even yourself
- Lead by example: The best way to teach your child something is to do it yourself. If you follow the rules children will automatically follow suit. Restrict the time you spend on your gadgets and you will notice your children following your footsteps. You are your child’s idol and inspiration. Hence, lead by example
