Here’s one very powerful statement to think over: “Children close their ears to advice but open their eyes to example.” This brings us to the next thought--why so much fascination around devices and gadgets? Because parents are constantly in the company of technology! We know we will miss important messages if we don’t flip through our online accounts every 30 minutes or so. We don’t let anything wait and make everything urgent and important. The child also starts to think that is the way of life.

Ways to Reduce Child’s Addiction to Gadgets & Technology

From concentration and bonding issues to physical health hazards, we are all well aware of the dangers that overuse of technology poses for our child. Here our pro-parent Neha Mittal brings you tips on how you can help your child balance gadgets with the other pleasures of life. Here are some :

1. Plan the time - Time the usage of gadgets and also monitor how and what do they do while they are using them. Apart from playing and communicating, teach them to explore the educational information that is available.
2. Go outdoors - Make outdoor playing a must for at least five days a week. Especially on weekends make sure you go for morning walks and jogs with the child. Give sports training to your child to ensure that he loves it outside.
3. Read and read - Read to your child and if they are older encourage them to grow into voracious readers. Books are still and will always be our best friends.
4. Play indoors - Play indoor games like puzzles and board games with your children at least four times a week which will help you spend time with them and also boost their reasoning and logic. Also, give them a plethora of activity books to keep them engaged. Guide them and teach them to use their time meaningfully.
5. Apart from Gadgets - Keep your own gadgets aside when with your children. The child will learn that when not needed we can switch off the gadget. The underlying message is very powerful – ‘The gadget is for us, we are not for the gadgets.’
6. Create variety - Monitor what the child watches on TV and ask them to watch different shows at different times during the day. For instance, if your child is only watching the Doraemon cartoon series, there can be two effects – either he will pick up the creativity of Doraemon or he will learn the lousiness and cribbing from Nobita. Better to give different experiences to the child.
7. Enjoy Eating - No gadgets at mealtimes. Sit with them and make sure that the child is having at least one meal with family 4 out of 8 days of the week. Give yourself patience for 10-15 days and this habit will develop.
8. Engage Them – Engage them in household chores when they are free. Better than spending all the free time in the company of technology. They will observe and understand the effort that goes into homemaking. For fathers, on weekends take them along to your office space (if system permits), so that they know that you work really hard at your desk to get that money.
9. Take them with you - Make sure that you take your children with you for those dinners and outings from a very young age, otherwise, how will they learn what a social setup is and how one should behave. More important is that if they are left to themselves, once again they would opt for gadgets.

The key idea is to use technology, but with discretion and don’t let it become a substitute for holistic and affectionate parenting. I would request all parents to please contribute and add to the above list and make my article complete.

Also read: 8 tips for a Digital Detox Diet for your family 

12 ways to keep your child away from TV

Unplugging Parenting – Hidden Dangers of Overuse of technology by parents