The Internet provides children and teenagers almost unlimited potential, as hours pass quickly on social networks or while playing.
The German "Watch what your child is doing with the Media" initiative recommends setting clear rules that the whole family adheres to, such as eating dinner together, doing things without using a smartphone, and allocating a family time free of “Media” on the weekend, knowing that children notice well The extent to which the parents themselves adhere to the rules.
Such points can be clarified through notes that are hung on the refrigerator, for example.
Construction
The initiative added that each age has a suitable duration of use. Children up to five years have half an hour daily in front of the screen, and up to nine years are one hour. From the age of nine, it can and should be more flexible.
Also important aspects of such a family agreement are in-app purchases, data protection, privacy and communication risks, it is important to accompany children, who are between 10 and 12 years old, and to secure personal files and make them as limited as possible.
Lack
The initiative warns that a very high level of “media” consumption indicates an imbalance in real life and the social environment. Often this is a lack of social participation, as well as the problems that will result in data protection and privacy, especially for children and youth.
The only positive thing is that «multimedia» provides great opportunities for learning, information acquisition and communication, in addition to that there are many great applications that stimulate creativity and link family members.
The real world
The German "Watch what your child does with the Media" initiative sees that activities in the real world, such as hiking and camping trips, are very popular with children and teenagers today, and could be a suitable alternative to spend more time in front of the media.
Setting clear rules for the whole family to adhere to ... children note well the extent to which parents are bound.
The very high level of “media” consumption indicates an imbalance in real life.