In today’s online learning world, one can not avoid digital devices/screen time, let it be TVs in waiting rooms, laptops/tablets in schools, and mobiles with most people. With technological advances, digital devices have become an integrated part of our human race and hence screen times.

As a general thumb rule, for children, not more than 2 hours of screen time per day is advisable. With electronics becoming increasingly available, it can be acknowledged on how difficult it can be to enforce screen time limits.

Recently, screen time has slowly been taken over the lives of families, with digital being unprecedented though inevitable. Kids are keeping themselves occupied with smart devices/electronics as they’re missing out on seeing the world. Family time now-a-days is restricted to involving everyone sitting around in the living room staring at TV/smartphones/digital devices.

Digital Detox is the only best available solution to avoid screens for a lengthy amount of time. Unplugging from the technology in a relatively small amount of time, in the form of break/recess, will prove productive.

How to identify whether or not a Digital Detox is imminent?:

Excessive time spent on the digital devices is always a troublesome situation leading to behavioral disorders. Here are a few considerations:

a) Kids are depending on Technology: If a child is spending more than 8 hours per day on smart devices and is expecting the time to increase, then digital detox increases the scope to explore other related activities and opportunities.

b) Child behaves indifferently: If a child is wanting to spend more time on TV/ smart devices despite spending a decent amount of time, say 2-3 hours, then a break is surely required.

c) Family habits with using electronic devices: Digital detox is advised when the following in the form of a few examples of bad digital habits that some families get into are being accounted for:

• Watching TV while taking dinner
• Avoiding direct face-to-face communication
• Sleeping with smart devices at bed time
• Ignoring human relationships to use Social Media

d) Behavior Problems: With advances in technology, children especially relate their behavior to adapt to screen times. Research has showcased an adverse effect of screen time with behavioral concerns, though there are mixed results revolving around the same. Studies have shown that excessive screen time leads to:

• Sleep Disorders: Sleep deprivation with reduces emotional abilities
• Social Disorders: Problems to cope up emotionally and facing increased conflict
• Aggressive Behavior: Parents report that Children are prone to making claims based on personal observation and not facts, thus resulting in anecdotal evidence between siblings, friends and family.

Role of Digital Detox:

Research suggests that a digital detox improves kids’ abilities to read the emotional expressions of others with and without usage of smart devices and their respective excessive screen time spent in comparison to normal screen time routine. Face-to-face interaction time is always essential for improving children’s social and emotional skills, which in turn play an important role in the behavior aspects. Unplugging from being digital, for short periods of time, can help kids better understand the nonverbal cues.

Creating strategies for a digital detox is not difficult, but adapting to them is. The following are worth considering:

a) Weekly/Monthly Digital Free Day: Could be a day of your choice. Say, first Monday of every month.

b) Digital Free Weekend: Weekend is a smaller scale ones which could be extended

c) Week-long Digital Free breaks: Take a vacation or a trip.

Stepping away from digital devices for a few days can be a great change/experiment to see if it changes a child’s behavior. A short break from digital will assist to boost their mood which inturn will increase their motivation to get their work done on par with the regular chores.

As a Parent, it’s effective that You too are willing to go through the digital detox procedures along with your child, to see a substantial improvement in their behavior. It is good for the entire family too!

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