We often stop our children from slouching in front of the infamous idiot box. But is it really that bad?

Maybe spending short periods of time either in front of the television or the computer screen is good. Let’s find out how.  

A research study on the said subject shows that media like everything else has its good side and bad side when it comes to development and is inevitable considering the modern world we live in. It’s all about having and maintaining balance.

Moving on to rules for young children.

It has been observed that exposure to media is beneficial to children younger than 18 months, however experts suggest that you limit this exposure to video chatting. You folks don’t have to worry about getting your baby on a video call with gramps across the country now.

It has also been observed that children from 18-24 months have enhanced learning capacities when it comes to usage of high quality programming and apps with the assistance of an adult of course.

As far as the next age group is concerned, that is ages 2 through 5, it is recommended that you spend one hour with high quality programming but ensure the presence of an adult while viewing. This helps your child in developing patience and gets a better take on how to emotionally react to the situations around them in order have a smooth sail while in pre school.  

However handing your mobile phone to your child is a big no no if you want to keep your child calm.

Let’s not forget the older kids!

Now coming to the difficult period of 5 to 18 years. There is no one-size-fits-all, parent are advised to channel their media exposure that aids personalization and balance. One way to do this is to generate a family guide for media use that extends beyond the time period for everyone in the family.

These guidelines that you would set are responsible for shedding some light on multitasking across various devices to your kids. It is suggested that this time table should include time slots for activities like sleeping, physical activities, school, family time and even some time for boredom.

Research says that allowing your child to get bored is in fact highly beneficial for your child as opposed to handing them a smartphone or a tablet. It allows them to calm their mind. They tend to engage themselves in highly interactive activities and they also indulge in thinking about and finding themselves.

All that said, when your child is in the media period for the day you should keep an eye whether your child is playing a violent video game or is engaged in a creative activity.

Now that you know how to maintain a good balance. Try out a few of the above practices and give us your opinion!

Happy Parenting!