We live in a digital era, and with technology constantly evolving and much of our daily functioning rooted in device usage, we often fear how screen time can affect our children. But what if our time on our devices also impacts our kids? Research shows that our screen time is just as harmful to kids as the time they spend on it!
But all is not lost yet!
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Recognising harmful habits is the first step in making changes to your lifestyle to ensure that your kids grow up in a wholesome environment.
This post highlights how your screen time affects your child and tips to fix that to build a meaningful relationship with them.
How Your Screen Time Affects Your Kids
1. Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Kids
Spending time on your devices constantly can cause emotional and behavioural problems in children, rising from their need for attention. This is because it makes them feel unseen and unheard.
2. Technoference
Technoference” is a term that combines ‘technology’ and ‘interference’ to refer to how parental attention distracted by screens can hamper parent-child bonding. This is because the time you invest being glued to your devices takes away valuable time you could spend together as a family doing fun and memorable stuff!
3. Reduced Self-Esteem in Children
Parents absorbed in their devices might respond harshly to kids, often because they get troubled by any interference with their screen time. This can affect your child’s self-esteem, making them feel unloved and like a burden.
4. Domino Effect
Children often imitate what they see and pick up behaviours from their parents. Watching you constantly on your devices and being unable to pay attention can affect your child’s attention span over time.
5. Reduced Joint Attention
“Joint attention”—where the parent and child focus on the same thing—like reading a book, playing a game, doing chores, or going for a walk to the park or a museum—is reduced.
6. Hampers Child Development
When your child only watches you spend your time predominantly on a screen, they are not exposed to the everyday functions of a family unit and miss out on having experiences like other children would. This Interrupts brain-developing interaction you can have with your kid, ultimately affecting their overall development.
7. Chain Reaction
Research indicates that extended screen time has an impact on your mental health, leading to higher instances of anxiety and depression. This affects your mood and can also impact your child.
What You Can Do About It!
Taking these simple steps proactively each day can help you bond with your child better and help with their social, cognitive, and emotional development:
- Monitor your screen time – make note of when it is essential and when it isn’t
- Cut out inessential screen time/doom scrolling – especially around your child.
- Have “device-free” hours for your family when all devices are switched off
- Of course, you needn’t cut out your device time entirely. Set a time to unwind with it, then interact with your child calmly and intently.
- Dedicate some time daily to “family bonding”—cook meals together, go on walks, read a book, play games, or do chores together.
While cutting out screen time entirely is not viable, you can take certain steps to ensure you spend valuable time with your kids, making them feel seen, heard, and loved. This will ensure that your child experiences a well-rounded childhood and holistic development.
