5-Best-Strategies-to-Stop-Your-Child_s-Screen-Addiction

1. 5 Best Strategies to Stop Your Child’s Screen Addiction We live in a time where toddlers and young children today are growing up in a world where screens are becoming increasingly available everywhere. With television, smartphones, tablets and laptops, these screen devices have become an integral part of their lives. No doubt, technology today offers them many benefits, including educational and entertainment opportunities that prepare them for the future. However, it creates different sets of problems altogether. The biggest negative consequence of excessive screen time is that it can lead to the child showing challenging behaviors. Children who spend too much in front of the screen may show challenging behaviors like tantrums, aggression, and hyperactivity. Also, they become irritable and have difficulty sleeping. Screen addiction can also negatively affect a child’s social and emotional development, affecting their ability to form healthy relations with their parents, siblings, and friends. Hence, it is very important to address this issue and we as parents or caregivers need to proactively ensure that our children develop healthy screen habits that help them in life and avoid the negative consequences of excessive screen time Q) How to find out early signs of screen addiction in toddlers or young children? There is one thing we must admit, smartphones or tablets have become a part of our life, we cannot avoid them totally. Suppose a child is spending a little time. There is no need to panic. Excessive screen time becomes visible when the child is looking at the phone way longer than usual. Then it is a matter of concern.

2. We need to be careful because it can delay the child’s developmental milestones, affect his health, and decrease his quality of life. Here are some early signs that you should look for: • It’s difficult for the child to regulate his screen time and he cannot deal with limited use. • The child finds other activities boring. Instead of playing outside or making a drawing, he finds playing games on mobile or watching videos more interesting. • The child’s mind is preoccupied when he is not looking at the screen. For example, he might think about games or what his favorite content creator might upload next. • It reduces his interest in socialization. He will prefer more screen time rather than spending time with friends and family. Let us discuss some effective strategies through which we can limit the child’s excessive screen time and prevent addiction. 1) Manage your child’s screen time Sit with your child and talk to him in a friendly manner. This will give you insights on: What is so special on the phone that hijacks his attention? What else does your child find interesting? With this information, you create rules. The child should use the phone or watch TV under your supervision. Mention the time when the child can use the phone or play games with your permission. You can set timers, but please do allow some

3. flexibility like a 5 to 10 minutes extension. Communicate all of this to your child as well. There is one thing you must know: enforcing these rules might cause challenging behaviors. When you take the phone back, allow children to do something which they find interesting (for example: playing with a car). Just make sure you do it before the tears roll down from their eyes. 2) Carefully monitor what your child is watching on the screen From the safety point of view, activate the parental controls and privacy settings to protect them from content containing foul language, violence, horror & anything inappropriate. You must first check the preview of shows or games before allowing your child to watch or play them. There are many sites & videos containing reviews and age ratings that will help you decide what type of content is age appropriate for your child. It would be better if you watch those programs or play that game with your child. 3) Use your own screen time judiciously A very effective measure to reduce screen addiction in children is that parents must model the behaviors which they want to see in their child. So, follow the rules you have made for your children. Otherwise, if you are doom-scrolling social media or binge-watching shows, children will never give up their screen time. By keeping your phone aside it shows the child that both of you are in this together. He will start showing good behavior by learning from you. 4) Turn off screen devices before bedtime!

4. Children need plenty of sleep at night. Looking at a screen might delay sleepiness, so turn off your mobile or tablet 30 minutes before putting your child to bed. Replace it with an activity that brings them calm, like telling stories or reading a book so he can have a sound sleep. 5) Involve kids in activities & hobbies Our children deserve much better things as compared to spending most of their time on screens. Involve children in activities that provide an ample amount of entertainment and new learning experiences. Parents should play with them, finding new & imaginative ways to make it more interesting, take them to parks where they can run freely, or going to picnics together. Encourage them to read storybooks, make art & craft, go outside and play with their friends, take part in sports, etc. Soon children will also realize there is more to life as compared to spending most of their time on the phone or TV. Conclusion If you want to break your child’s screen addiction, you must manage his screen time by sitting with him to create rules and try to understand what else your child likes. Carefully monitor what the child is watching on the screen for the child’s well-being and safety. Set an example of healthy screen time by using your own screen time judiciously. You should also keep screen devices away during bedtime and help the child fall asleep. Finally, engage children in activities and hobbies. Screen Addiction Treatment Butterfly Learningsprovides therapy for screen addiction and young children by implementing evidence-based approaches to address challenging behaviors

5. associated with screen addiction. It offers an effective solution to help children to overcome this problem. We prepare customized programs and individualized treatment plans by offering personalized therapy designed to suit the child’s unique needs and interests. With our team of Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Registered Behavior Technicians, and behavior therapists, Butterfly Learnings is making remarkable contributions towards improvement in the lives of children and their families. By teaching them play skills and healthy screen habits, Butterfly Learnings makes positive behavioral change possible and strives to create a brighter future for them.