Trying to set boundaries around devices" Remember that we as parents are responsible for preventing screen-time addiction, says Kate Silverton
We?re living through a period that some scientists are calling the ?Great Rewiring of Childhood?. They warn that the reduction of time spent in social and free play and the increasing use of screens and devices is having a significant and detrimental impact on our children?s healthy brain development and, specifically regarding social media, on their mental health. Their research has led campaigners to call for a total ban on social media for children under 16 and certainly for a restriction on mobile phone use for any child under 14. Legislation may take a while to catch up, so what can we do to ensure our children?s online time is as safe and reasonable as possible" For older children, it can be helpful to talk about the research, explaining that screens are not simply passive and ?benign?, in that they?re programmed with algorithms designed to get them hooked. In an age-appropriate manner, we can also speak to our children about their brains and the stimulus they need to thrive. You could talk to your child about how their brain changes with the activities they do. Just as they will get good at playing the piano, or learning to read when they do ?a little and often?, so their brain can get ?lazy? if they?re sat passively staring at a screen. If your children push back, you can explain that just as it?s your job to keep t...