Introduction
The amount of time our children spend on screens has significantly increased since the pandemic. For better or worse, screens have become an integral part of our children’s lives. From educational activities to entertainment and social interactions, screens offer a myriad of opportunities for children. Screens are here to stay, so how do we embrace them and ensure they have a positive impact on our children?
Our children are growing up in a digital world, they are surrounded by technology, they use it every day, and it’s not going away. We as parents need to find a way to incorporate this screentime into our children’s lives in a safe and healthy way.
Desire For Screen Time Isn’t a New Phenomenon
Although screens and technology use in children has increased significantly, and we are facing more and more challenges with our children screen time, we aren’t the first generation to face this challenge. We too were tempted by technology when we were young. We all remember our parents telling us we would get “Square Eyes” if we watched the TV too much. We were warned not to sit too close to the TV, we were told we watched too much TV, etc. Now that we are parents ourselves, we can relate to our own parents worries and concerns.
However, do you remember the joy and excitement on a Saturday morning when you sat down to watch your favourite cartoons or tv shows? TV was our “window to the world”, where we got a glimpse of a world that was so different to ours. We loved it! If we rekindle that feeling just for a moment it will help us relate to our children and their desire for more screen time.
We need to remember when we are battling with our children over screen time that their tablet or laptop is their window to the world, its where they see and hear things that are interesting, futuristic and exciting.
We can’t remove this “window to the world”, but we can strike a balance and make some of that screen time more productive.
Balance Between Screen Time and Other Activities
It is essential to strike a balance between screen time and other activities for our children. Excessive screen time can have negative effects on children’s physical health, mental well-being, and overall development. By establishing healthy screen time habits, we can ensure that children benefit from the digital world while also engaging in a well-rounded and balanced lifestyle.
Making Screen Time More Productive
What about when we allow our children on screens? We can make that screen time more productive and fill it with educational and fun activities that will keep them engaged and happy and keep us happy too!
This is where The Code Lab comes in!
We teach children how to be creative with technology by teaching them to code their own stories and games. Our STEM focused online coding platform teaches coding and computer science concepts using step-by-step video lessons. This platform allows for self-paced learning through engaging and fun project-based content. This platform is suitable for school or home learning.
Additionally, we organise camps, workshops, and events in Co Louth. If you live in this area, feel free to visit our events page to check for upcoming opportunities to participate. Join us in fostering your child’s creativity and technological skills in an exciting and educational environment.
Parental Controls and Access to Age-Appropriate Content
Parental controls and access to age-appropriate content are essential tools for ensuring a safe and enriching digital experience for children. For advice on parental controls for your child’s device, check out www.webwise.ie.
Conclusion
By establishing healthy screen time habits and filling our children screen time with more productive education content such as The Code Lab’s online coding courses, we can ensure that children benefit from the digital world while also engaging in a well-rounded and balanced lifestyle.
