SWITCHING OFF
Less screen time means more family time, say s Kate
Atrend seems to be emerging ... that of the digital detox. It seems odd that given our allencompassing obsession with screens, we’re now at a point where we want breaks from them.
I guess with the gradual digitisation of our entire lives and the flurry of gadgets that now rule our homes, it was only a matter of time before we started rebelling. Think about how many devices are in your house, how many times you see your kids’ eyes instead of the tops of their heads and how often there is silence because everyone is on a screen.
When I was growing up, our house was noisy because there were no screens, bar a TV that went on only at night for the news. We were forced to speak to each other. We knew dinner was ready because Mum yelled it out to us, as opposed to sending us a text.
Ironically, these days, it’s often the people most obsessed with the screens who are also complaining about them. How many times has your child asked you to hop off your phone? The smart phone has become an extension of our hands. We’re not often away from it: News, messages, emails, alerts and notifications, not to mention social media.
I recently trawled through Instagram and unfollowed a whole bunch of accounts to limit how much content I was scrolling through that was simply a waste of my time.
It was liberating. I don’t use Twitter and I’m barely on Facebook. Social media has become a huge stealer of our time. So a digital detox or a self-imposed ban on screens is not a bad idea. Not logging on first thing when you wake, not scrolling Instagram, not posting anything and not watching YouTube means more time for reconnecting with the simple things like getting outdoors or actually talking to (instead of texting) your family.
A British survey recently found 60% of parents were fed up with how much time their kids spent on screens. I’m picking it’s a similar number here. The experts say we should view screen time the same way we view junk food – a little in moderation is fine, but too much is not OK. Digital detoxing is about finding a healthy balance. And if screen time is akin to junk food, then Fortnite must be like a giant Big Mac combo with extra fries.
Anyone who has a teen obsessed with Fortnite will know what I’m talking about. The thing that worries me about screens and kids is the late-night blue-light thing. Kids are finding it harder to get to sleep. They’re too stimulated by screens, but so are we.
As with all things, if we want kids to moderate their screen time, we have to start by role modelling it first. It’s often hard as a parent to practise what you preach!