Screen Addiction in Children: Methods to Overcome It

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The child's dependence on the screen must be overcome as early as possible. It is a brake on normal development and can lead to dire consequences.

The child's dependence on the screen must be overcome as early as possible. It is a brake on normal development and can lead to dire consequences. Among them, the inability to concentrate on any lesson, lack of interest, hyperactivity, increased absent-mindedness. Such children do not linger on any activities, quickly switch, feverishly strive to change impressions, however, they perceive diverse impressions superficially and fragmentarily, without analyzing or connecting with each other. They need constant external stimulation, which they are used to receiving from the screen.

Many children who are accustomed to watching TV find it difficult to perceive information by ear - they cannot hold the previous phrase and connect individual sentences. Hearing speech does not evoke any images or lasting impressions in them. For the same reason, it is difficult for them to read - understanding individual words and short sentences, they cannot hold and connect them, as a result, they do not understand the text as a whole. Therefore, they are simply not interested, it is boring to read even the best children's books.

Another fact noted by many teachers is a sharp decline in the imagination and creative activity of children. Children lose the ability and desire to occupy themselves with something. They make no effort to invent new games, to compose fairy tales, to create their own imaginary world. They are bored with drawing, constructing, inventing new plots. They are not interested in or fascinated by anything. The lack of their own content is reflected in the relationship of children. They are not interested in communicating with each other. They prefer to press a button and wait for new ready-made entertainment.

All these symptoms indicate the growth of internal emptiness, which requires its constant external filling - new artificial stimulation, new "pills of happiness." Here you can see a direct path from a seemingly harmless child's screen addiction to other, more serious and dangerous types of addiction - computer, chemical, game, alcoholic and so on.

But is the TV really to blame?

Yes, when it comes to a small child. When the home screen absorbs all the strength and attention of the baby, when the TV becomes the main source of impressions, it has a powerful deforming effect on the formation of the psyche and personality of a growing person.

Overcoming screen addiction (if it has already developed), alas, requires time and effort from parents. An intermediate stage in this overcoming may be the transition to listening to audio tapes and radio broadcasts. The perception of stories and fairy tales by ear requires more internal activity from the child than the perception of the video sequence, and at the same time does not require much effort.

It is clear that the younger the child is, the easier and more effective the “detachment” from the screen is.

For a small child (up to 3 years old) it is easier to restrict access to TV and (which is very important) to exclude free use of TV. The remote control must be out of the reach of the child. This is the only way you can limit screen time. This is necessary for the TV to become a source of vivid and useful impressions, and not a constant background in the child's life. In the daily routine, you need to allocate a certain time (no more than 30-40 minutes) when the baby can watch TV.

First of all, you have to control and regulate the viewing. To do this, you need to choose films and programs for the child. This is difficult because there are very few good films for babies and too many bad ones.

The perception of babies corresponds to the slow pace of the video sequence, the clear detailed speech of the characters, accessible and understandable plots, recognizable images and events.

Give preference to shorter video programs, not serial cartoons; it is possible to carry out "unloading" days from the TV with the subsequent encouragement of the child.

If this is a video film (disk), it is advisable to repeat it several times, and for the first time it is better to watch with the child together, helping the child to understand what is happening, comment on and explain difficult places that are not too clear.

After watching, it is useful to return to what you saw, and together play with suitable toys the plot of the film: repeat the lines of the characters, reproduce their actions, etc. game (with or without a toy).

It is important that independent play, which requires significant mental and physical activity of the child, becomes more fun for him than passive video consumption.

Probably one of the reasons for screen addiction is the presence of the TV as a backdrop to home life. If the TV is constantly on in your house, then there is no way to wean this child from this. The maximum allowable viewing time for a child under 6-7 years old is one hour per day.

Another reason is the use of television and video programs as a comforter, entertainer and educator for a bored child, especially its use with meals, in cases of poor appetite.

One of the main reasons a child "sticks" to the screen is the lack or absence of more interesting and meaningful activities for the child. It has been noticed that children who play well are usually not too dependent on the TV screen: they prefer more active types of activities. Preschoolers who have not learned and do not like to play plot games are distinguished by a pronounced dependence on television. For a small child, it replaces communication with close adults, play, drawing, and, accordingly, displaces all these most important types of activity from the child's life.

Both you and your child need to realize the need for change and make your parental firm decision to change the interaction with the TV in the family. So that these changes are not so dramatic, it is necessary to change the nature of interaction with the child towards the priority of more active and creative joint activities, to find a fascinating alternative to watching television and video programs. In order for the desired changes to really take place, you need to create a clear and attractive image of what you will be doing together.

Imagine well what your life together will be filled with? What do you like to do yourself? Maybe there is even something that you dreamed of doing. Maybe you will be making paper, sewing or baking cookies. Or maybe you will make a wonderful TV substitute - shadow theater, which is not at all as difficult as it seems at first glance. Any work, and of course a game, can be shared even with a three-four-year-old child.

Joint play - first with an adult, then with peers, and then independent - is the most important way to overcome screen addiction. Undoubtedly, the habit attracts both children and adults. But as soon as you tune in to initiative and consistency, getting rid of the TV will not keep you waiting. You will feel it after three to four days. But a sustainable result can be achieved only after a month and a half of your consistent actions.

Of course, this path will require time, energy and imagination from the parents. But this is not at all a useless pastime. When a child learns to play, invent, fantasize, he will be able to independently organize his time, come up with interesting activities, create his own imaginary world. This will not only be a powerful impetus for development, but also give freedom - not only to mom and dad, but also to the child himself.