World has become digitalised, rise of technology today has brought everything online. Especially the smart phones bring whatever our need in just a click.
During lockdown in this pandemic period the screen time has increased for everyone. As left in a place immovable makes people to depend on screens for a long period of time in a day.
Those who are working from home by seeing laptops or the children listening to online classes look in to the screen for a long time. Not only for these for checking new receipes, playing video games, for messeging , relax yourself by checking favourite videos, watching movies or songs, making digital payments and for online shopping , video calls everything is done by seeing digital screens. Smart phones are actually used for these types of work most of the time than for calling and speaking to others actually which is the main purpose of phones.
Many have the habit of checking the mobile as soon as waking up in the morning and the last thing to check before sleep. But it is actually an additive habit and we should get out watching screens at least 30 minutes before our sleep. So that or eyes will not get strained.
Researchers say that 40% of children are introduced to screens like watching television, DVDs, or videos at three months of age and this count increases upto 90% by two years of age. It is also said that between the ages of eight and 18, children spend on average of seven hours of screen time. Adults have the habit of checking their mobiles every 12 minutes. And the screen time increases terribly during this lockdown. It is proved that longer screen times results in headaches, migraines, eyestrain, obesity and sleep deprivation. It’s thought to also cause behavioural problems in children, difficulties at school, and increased levels of violence. Let’s follow some simple steps to reduce the screening time.
1.Take short breaks from screens: If it is tough to cut short the screen timings you can start with just having short breaks of few minutes. You can just have a small walk of 2minutes or just do few stretches which you make you off from the screens and feel energetic.
2.Set time limits for screens: set time limits for your exposure to screen. There are many simple apps which can track your screen time. Download such apps in your gadgets and make sure that you don’t reach the maximum limit. This helps to track the screen times of your kids too.
3.Make schedules: Set schedules for kids and make it as a practice to follow. so that the kids will not be exposed to long and continuous screen time.
4.Make phone calls: Engage your kids to make calls to your family members and their friends. Speaking with family and friends make the children to have emotional bonding with them and also remind phones are meant to make calls. Not only that we can make the kids to engage to other activity than to just stare screens.
5.Explain the kids: Try to explain the kids the reason why you limit timings for them to look at the screens. Make them understand the health issues faced by looking screens for long time like eye problems and the stress it creates.
6.Spend family time: Spend quality family time by leaving your smart phones and TV screens aside. Let the meal times and the time before to sleep be a gadget free time. This time gives a good interaction between the family members to understand and share their views with each other.
7.Encourage to play and do other activities: Encourage the kids to play independently. Make them get involved in drawings, painting, finding puzzles or mazes, make miniatures with clay or dough, making crafts etc. you can even get their help in domestic works too.
8.Reading books: Reading is a good habit which is slowly deprived nowadays. Indulge kids in reading so that it will become a habit which is good for them both academically and personally.
9.Learn a hobby: Try to identify a hobby which your kid is interested and help them to develop the hobby. Whatever simple the hobby like meditating, gardening or drawing anything according to their interest and age encourage them to do it.
- Be an example: Above all be an example for your kids. Kids learn better from what they see than from what they just hear. So than to advising them to stay away from screens for a long time, better teach them by your own activities and be an example.
Apart from eye problems like eye soreness, eye tiredness and eye pain caused because of being exposed to screen for a long time it also causes other health issues like obesity, delay in speech for kids, stress, and sleeplessness. So reduce the screen time especially in this lockdown and nurture your kids hale and healthy.
