We’re all living in a society that is very much digitally connected. It’s hard to escape the role that the internet and digital technology have on our lives, and while a lot of the time that role is largely positive, there is plenty of potential for it to have a harmful effect, as well. If you’re a parent, then the concerns about your children spending too much time online, and not enough time on growing healthily and happily are valid. Here, we’re going to look at five things you can do to manage that risk.
Set Limits On Their Screen Time
First of all, you should address how much time they spend on their digital devices in the first place. Most children nowadays have spent their whole lives with access to digital devices, so imposing those rules can be tough going at first, but with the help of apps like Net Nanny, you can make sure that they’re not able to spend entire days with their faces in screens.
Encourage Physical Activity
Just as important is making sure that your child is spending time up and about and outside. Engaging with other children in outdoor play is the best possible approach, but you can also make exercise a family affair, such as going on walks and hikes on the weekends or, if they’re older, starting to jog with them as well. Anything to avoid them living a sedentary life.
Be Mindful Of Mental Health
Too much connection to their devices can affect not just physical health but mental health, as well. This can be especially true of children who develop mood disorders, and working with teams like MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy can help you address and work towards mitigating some of the harm that spending too much time online can cause. There are increasing concerns that a growing portion of online content is designed to drive outrage and conflict for the sake of engagement, and we should be aware of how this can affect our children.
Teach Them Vital Online Safety
Of course, one of the biggest concerns with spending too much time online is that the internet can present some threats. Scams, catfishing, and malware that are aimed at children of all ages using devices are prevalent. Teaching your kids some basic internet safety tips and keeping them out of spaces that they’re not old enough to use responsibly, like social media, should be a priority.
Pay Attention
The tools above can help you manage and mitigate the potential harm caused by digital technology in your family. However, at the end of the day, nothing compares to being present and mindful of the content that your child accesses online. Using monitoring software to see what they’re looking at can help you engage them directly on how they use the internet.
Unless you’re going to take the approach of cutting off your family from the online world entirely, you need to learn to live alongside it. That includes teaching your kids the habits and means of living healthily outside of it.
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