Questions to Ask Ourselves Before Giving Gadgets to Our Kids
How much time can a young child spend on playing online games / browsing on their gadgets?
As much as ‘we’ allow it, if you ask me.
After all, aren’t we the ones who buy / supply / provide the facilities and gadgets to them?
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… aren’t we the ones who buy / supply / provide the facilities and gadgets to them?To me personally, it’s super important to discuss with spouse (even when child is still a baby) and agree on family rules from the start and CONSISTENTLY carry them out.
And what if the children at home are already 9yo, or even 11yo?
It’s never too late to implement family rules.
(Well, unless your kids are already 15yo or older, I guess)
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Here are some of the points (there are so many others) that mommy and daddy should discuss and agree upon:
– At what age will you start allowing your child to ‘browse’ and hold a gadget ON THEIR OWN? (even when it’s for ‘browsing photos’ on your phone). Because, early exposure and interaction with gadget will lead to increased ‘attachment’ and that feeling of ‘I want to hold on to it more and for longer’
– Each time a child is allowed to hold on / fiddle / browse around / play with a gadget / mobile phone ON HIS OWN, for how many minutes is he allowed to do so?
– Does the child need to always watch videos while having his/her meal?
– Can the child play games / fiddle with a gadget while seated on a stroller and being pushed around the park / mall, etc?
Can the child play games BEFORE clearing his responsibilities for the day?
– At what age will you allow the child to ‘choose’ which online games to download to a gadget / ‘your’ mobile phone? And ‘how many’ games can be downloaded at any particular time?
– Can the child play games BEFORE clearing his responsibilities for the day?
– At what age will you allow him/her to have HER OWN gadget / mobile phone?
(For our case, at 13yo, and it’s subject to child’s attitudes after a mobile phone is given. Elaborating this point needs a separate post=)
– Any ‘time of the day’ that the child needs to ‘stop’ using the gadget / mobile phone? (eg. Gadget / phone is off after 7pm everyday?)
What consequence will both parents give to the child when he/she misbehaves DUE TO gadget use?– Can child play on gadgets / mobile phones at meal time / in the car / when there are relatives around?
– What consequence will both parents give to the child when he/she misbehaves DUE TO gadget use?
For example, what happens when:
– Child neglects responsibilities (house chores / homework, etc) because he wants to ‘play first’?
– Child becomes verbally rude when reminded to stop playing in 2 minutes (when he already agrees at the start to only play for 15 mins)
– Child becomes physically/verbally rude/abusive towards siblings/parents/anyone (because he feels he’s being disturbed when playing the game)
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We are not against gadgets / mobile phones.
They can be useful indeed.
Having said that though, gadgets have this strong ‘addictive power’, and everyone – young and old – can be ‘trapped’, if not careful.
Reminders by others (and self-reminders) are needed every now and then.
And I know I need them, too.
