babysitter during the 7 weeks of lockdown. Of course, my daughter was really excited to have it - she could sit with it for 2 hours and give me a chance to do what I needed to. We also realize that, during that time, my daughter wasn’t interested in family time such as doing puzzles, art, and craft or even running around the backyard - there was a change in her behavior and most likely due to the iPad. I am sure most whānau are facing these challenges now; somedays I do have regrets about introducing technology to her at an early age. Just like me, of course, if you desire a well-balanced family - then it’s going to take a little more work, time, and effort. YouTube can’t do it all for you, we’re sure you don’t want tech to babysit your kids, from toddlers to teens. Together we’ll get more specific further down in this article on helpful family screen time, where I share some thoughts and ideas which I have applied with my daughter which saw some positive changes.
doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Limiting screen time can enable your child to reap the benefits of using technology without experiencing the drawbacks. The risk of too much screen time versus defining the right amount of screen time for children is debatable. For example, have you ever binge watched Netflix, rolling from episode to episode until you were braindead? Well, that can happen to kids too. Risks can be further categorized into short-term and long-term risks, keeping in mind that short-term risks can develop into permanent obstacles if left unchecked. There are a lot of risks if we start reading up on screen time, but I have narrowed it down to the general risks that we could face. I have also gone through these risks with my girls before reading further on introducing screen time to preschoolers. These are the effects of too much screen time with preschoolers.
Dear parents, there’s no doubt that when using screen time appropriately, it can be an asset to your child’s development and childhood experience. Firstly, you cannot wish it away or keep kids away from it, but you can reduce its impact on your children. Kids are more vulnerable than adults when it comes to spending too much time with gadgets and this can affect many aspects of family life. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, no screen time for kids up to two years old and no more than one to four for children between the ages of two and four years. Now you know screen time
Congratulates
Maddie Ashwin and Luke Page For winning a Treatment, Cut and Blowwave for being a current Palmerston North Patents Centre member Ph: 358 4010 | Hotel Coachman,134 Fitzherbert Ave, Palmerston North | thehaircompany.co.nz Open Mon - Sat, late nights Tues and Thur
ISSUE 307 . June | July 2022
13
