top of page
Search

How many hours are the children in front of screens?

אילנה כהנא, הדרכת הורים | אימון אישי
Mar 9

How many hours do your children spend in front of screens? And during vacations?


I hear more and more from parents about their concern that children and teenagers spend most of their vacation time in front of screens and conduct most of their communication on social networks such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Online computer games have also entered the world of children, like the "Pokemon Go" and Fortnite games, which expose children to virtual reality worlds. This, of course, leads to the internet becoming the primary means of communication for many children, a situation that significantly intensifies during vacations. Since the routine of social interactions at school stops, face-to-face social meetings require initiative and willingness. They prefer to spend time in front of the screen and communicate with others only through social networks or online games, not leaving their homes, spending most of their time in front of the screen, and communicating almost exclusively through the internet. The big concern: addiction!


Teenagers addicted to screens will likely show signs of irritability, sadness, or anxiety when they are not in front of screens or when their parents attempt to reduce their screen time. Screen addiction serves as a way to escape difficulties and anxieties in social relationships. Such addiction will inevitably harm other areas of life – the child will struggle to distance themselves from the screen, choose not to meet friends, avoid attending social gatherings in the park, birthdays, and class bonding events they previously enjoyed. They will cut ties with friends, try to avoid going to school during the school year, and more. If you notice a change in behavior, and if your attempts to reduce their "screen time" are met with irritability, anger, secrecy, and outbursts of rage – there is reason for concern, and it is advisable to seek guidance. Children and teenagers suffering from social anxiety may turn to excessive screen use as a way to avoid face-to-face interactions and/or dealing with social situations.


If your child spends most of their time in front of the screen and engages in little other activity, there may be cause for concern. It’s worth trying to discuss with them the reason for their excessive use of computers and TV and raising your concerns in an age-appropriate manner. It’s a good idea to agree and define acceptable screen time with the child, and if this doesn’t work, seek parental guidance, which can provide tools to address the challenges, or encourage the child to attend personal coaching that will help them in the process and teach them how to interact with the social environment optimally. As a preliminary and preventive step, I recommend installing the Wizmo app – a free app that allows full control over mobile screen time, pre-setting learning time, family time, and screen time. It’s important, of course, to explain the rules to the child in advance and what will happen when the defined time runs out (the apps are locked, and the phone is used for calls only).


This can help the child develop reasonable usage habits. Recommended.


 

Thank you for reading!I invite you to stay connected and join our community:

See you in the next post! 🌟



 

Comments

bottom of page