The Current Landscape
The digital age has caused a number of significant changes in the manner how the world works. Our increased exposure to devices is one such change that is easily visible on the surface. However, a number of subtle transitions in our demeanor have also been caused by the digital revolution. For instance, parenting has transformed into a vastly different experience compared to what it was a decade ago. Likewise, traditional parenting methods have lost their efficiency. Keeping a track of your kid’s smartphone use is a difficult task, to say the least.
The current generation has been constantly subjected to the concept of instant gratification. More precisely, kids have gotten used to getting whatever they want exactly when they want. A pizza makes its way to your doorstep with nothing more than a few taps on a glass screen. A clothing item of your liking reaches your home in less than a week. Furthermore, kids of this age are growing up with a heightened sense of familiarity with technological devices. What makes an adult a few minutes to figure out on a smartphone comes naturally to a kid of the current era. Given this stark divide between the two generations in their inclination to technology, kids definitely have the upper hand. Traditional parenting methods no longer have the power to outsmart children. Also, the digital age has taken its toll on the free time available to adults. Here is a brief on the research done on current generation’s screen time –
In this new world, the only way to be a good parent is to adopt parenting strategies compatible with the current environment. Instead of nagging or threatening your kids to make them do your bidding, innovative solutions backed by technology itself can make a visible difference. You can also choose a smart internet connection which will also be helpful. Some new parenting methods like attachment parenting make the argument that forming a formidable bond with your kids will more likely lead to them obeying you. An emotional bond is a stronger influencer than authoritative control. After all, we live in an age in which the idea of challenging authority is no longer viewed as a taboo.
The Right Way to Adapt
The hard fact is that is important for parents to make efforts to level with their kids. The most obvious prerequisite to achieving the above-mentioned goal is understanding how current technology works and deciding the manner in which children are to be exposed to gadgets.
It is indisputable that educational endeavors requires the intervention of technology. Therefore, completely banning kids from using smartphones is not a smart way to prevent them from being glued to phone screens. The key idea to smart parenting in the smartphone age is to limit screen time. In order to limit the screen time your kids get on their smartphones, you need to monitor it. Here are some ways to do so:-
#1 Traditional Methods
Timers and Rotas look good on paper, but lack practicality. Let’s just assume that you tell a 5-year old to set his smartphone-use timer to 20 mins, and let go of the screen as soon as the time is up. What do you think is going to happen? Smartphones are devices so powerful that even adults have a hard time letting them go. It is literally a child’s play (pun intended) for a child to develop addictive patterns with smartphone use. Rotas require a significant amount of a parent’s time and dedication. Needless to say, they lack practicality as well.
#2 New-age Methods
However, new-age monitoring methods can prove to be best here. A parental monitoring software like TiSPY can enable parents to actively monitor the screen time their kids get on their smartphones without risking sabotaging their relationship with them. It offers you top features like webite history tracker, Whatsapp tracker, Geo location tracker and many more. Furthermore, you can also use parental monitoring software to create a distinction between work time and play time.
#3 Reward Charts
Rewards charts are an intelligent way of getting your kids to spend a stipulated amount of time on their smartphones. Not only do they limit exposure to addictive technological devices, but they also instill the idea of delayed gratification. Furthermore, there are many benefits of learning discipline at an early age. However, reward charts are not perfect. Yet again, it can become difficult for parents to keep track of reward points from time-to-time. Once your kid learns how to bypass the reward points system, things can get messy.
#4 Battery Time Limits
Battery Time Limits are one of the smartest methods of limiting screen time. In fact, setting such limits might also be the best way to limit the time your child spends on a non-essential device. However, these limits will not prove to be effective if used with your child’s primary smartphone. It can also be difficult to monitor the battery use on a device that you and your kid share.
Technology Limits Technology
Due to a plethora of reasons, using a monitoring software to limit screen time is the best way to do so. It is not only convenient but also time-saving. Moreover, it is the least intrusive method of teaching your kids the essential virtue of discipline. A smart way of parenting your kids can be using an amalgamation of traditional and modern parenting methods. You might also like to refer these great tips for parents for dealing with kids. After all, it is important for children to understand their heritage in order to develop strong bonds with parents as well as their familial roots.
In a nutshell, parents need to adopt new strategies in order to match the developmental pace of the current generation. When it comes to limiting screen time, old parenting strategies are not all bad, but they need changes. Technological intervention can significantly speed up the process!
