Why You Should Monitor Your Child’s Screen Time This Summer

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Now that the long holiday is here and the children are at home, the house is going to be a little less quiet and a little less tidy. When the little ninjas start running around the house, battling with imaginary swords and upsetting everything in their way including that expensive vintage vase, the best solution will be to direct them to the living room to watch TV. At least that will keep them occupied.

 

Positive effects of TV

Television has become a lifestyle for busy mums especially as it has a way of completely arresting your child’s attention. They become so quiet and absorbed that you could do a back-flip across the room and no one will notice. Your child watching TV more or less equals peace and quiet and that’s a good thing right? You can now go back to whatever work you were doing before the battle or even grab a quick shut eye before the kids get hungry.

 

 

There are also some educative channels and shows your child could really benefit from.

 

Negative effects of TV

You may find yourself asking if so much TV is good for your child. Yes, you may have put all the parental controls known to man in place but how much TV is too much you may wonder. Experts say that too much TV (no matter the content) can have negative impacts on children like taking away time  your child may otherwise use to develop communication and creativity skills. A child who watches too much TV is more likely to experience communication difficulties.

 

 

Asides leaving your child with the TV as sole companion, having children around the house means you have to be mindful of what you watch when they are around. The show might seem child-friendly because there’s no violence, sex scenes or curse words. But lack of the aforementioned doesn’t necessarily mean children can watch it.

 

I learned that the hard way after watching an alien movie with my 5-year-old nephew.  I woke up to see him standing in the doorway in complete darkness. When I asked what the problem was, his response was “The aliens are coming”.

 

 

This summer, try not to leave your child at the mercy of the TV all day. Create a TV routine for your child and encourage him/her to go out and interact with the neighbor’s children or visit friends. Also try to be conscious of what channel the TV is playing in the background. Your child might just walk into the living room and continue the horror movie you were innocently viewing. That will not play out well when it’s bedtime.