Electronic weaning .. When should your child stop using screens?

Mary Aaron

With the steady rise in children's use of smartphones, problems associated with exposure to electronic screens multiply.

As scientists and specialists note the increase, the American Society of Pediatric recommendations have changed from allowing children to use screens for only two hours a day for those older than three years, to new recommendations that address usage controls and prohibitions for passive use that could amount to cyber addiction.

The controls included dealing with smart devices as one of the environments in which children are involved, because of their usefulness and risks, in addition to the requirement not to leave children in cyberspace without supervision or control over the entire period of their use of electronic devices without ignoring any moment.

the bell of danger
The term "over-use of electronic screens" seems foggy with no clear signs that answer questions about when we are at risk, but some social and medical studies have addressed the recommendations of the American Society of Pediatrics, and identified the signs of danger at which to take a position, and the most important of these signs is the sense of attachment of the child Severe electronic devices, and crying when removed from the device.

The child's main reliance on entertainment and having fun on electronic devices, and the reluctance to interact and share with children, is an indication of his tendency to isolate.It may seem that children use the devices at the dining table is simple, but it is a serious sign of pathological attachment to electronic screens.

Some families tend to correspond with family members through social media applications, a major development of social habits of isolation, and thus lead to social problems and avoid face-to-face communication, according to the American Society of Pediatrics.

obesity
Cyberspace and virtual space represent a community environment like stadiums and friends, which must be guarded in the same way. Just as a child can injure himself with a knife in the kitchen, watching violence can cause psychological harm to the child, so watch around the clock, watch the material and discuss it while watching.Also, care should be taken to avoid excessive connection to electronics, which negatively affects activity and movement.

A child may not have problems concentrating due to hyperactivity, but he or she may be obese. A study by the International Organization for the Prevention of Obesity revealed a link between children's use of smartphones and screens and increased rates of obesity.

The study conducted in Canada revealed that more than 64% of parents allow their children to use smart phones and screens unconditionally, and confirmed that overuse affects the number of hours of sleep as well as obesity.

Mechanisms to reduce the use of monitors
It is difficult to persuade the child to stop using something that parents constantly use.No child can listen to someone who tells them to stop using smartphones while holding his phone and refusing to break away from him.Therefore, the best solution is to establish rules that everyone applies.It must also include specific times for physical activity. And give alternative solutions for entertainment and entertainment such as coloring and games that need interaction and participation.

E-Holidays
A complete interruption to full-screen exposure without smartphones or electronic devices is a means of ensuring that the addiction is not adhering to the pathological limit.

It is possible to maintain a weekend without devices, or a camp in the mountains or the desert without electronics, and there are many activities that can devote time to movement and environments different from virtual reality, and provide good social interaction with others as recommended by pediatricians in the United States Very Well Family website.