Encourage other interests to reduce gadget time
game, they can also be exposed to real-life scenarios, such as trading.”
ZooMoo’s approach to content is to provide a safe environment for children to learn through animals and the world they live in. Through collaborations with child and education experts, the curated content and programming format is designed to entertain while stimulating young minds.
“As a channel that believes in the power of technology, we embrace it and encourage children to be exposed to it from a young age. It is not something that can be avoided as a child grows up, and conditioning them in the proper use of technology early will be beneficial,” says Nebauer.
“In this age of the digital world, there is no way to implement a total blackout on technology. Rather, like with any other activity, there is a suitable time and place, and it is up to parents to find ways to balance quality time on screen and off.” exposed to at school or at the playground. What I would usually do is talk to my daughter if she comes home with some of these bad habits. I would explain to her that different houses have different rules. Some behaviour displayed by her friends may be acceptable in their homes, but not necessarily in ours. I try not to make other children look wrong in her eyes, but instead, let her understand that other people may have different rules to abide by. “BOTH my kids are only allowed to use their gadgets at the weekends or during holidays, provided that it is not the exam period,” says human resource consultant Priya Pillai, 43.
“When they can play (with their gadgets), it will only be for two to three hours a day. Before this rule was enforced, both my kids would get carried away and spend the whole day on their iPads.
“When we established these rules, I could see my 14-year-old’s frustrated demeanour, but over time, he got used to the rules and, at times, has surrendered his phone or iPad when it was time to do so.”
Priya says she has an age-old trick to get her kids to “switch off ”.
“The only thing that works is to not allow any play time the next day if they don’t ‘switch off ’ on time.
“We also encourage outdoor activities. My 8-year-old daughter enjoys hiking every Sunday and my son plays futsal and goes cycling. If we don’t insist on getting them to do something outdoors, they would be happy to play their games all day.”
Mother of one, Yasmin Kamal, 39, has rules and regulations when it comes to her child’s screen time.
“My son is allowed 10 minutes of television time after school if he doesn’t have sports. He gets about 15 minutes while having his lunch or during teatime.
“We did get him an Xbox game console once, but he quickly got very self-absorbed with it, so we decided to unplug and allow him to use it when he has a playdate with his friends during school holidays.
“We want to delay him from (getting attached to) tablets as much as possible, but we are aware that there will come a stage where it will be used a lot in school, so we can’t do much. We hope that he’ll find joy in books and sports and can do without so much screen time.”
Yasmin says it is scary to realise that kids can get self-absorbed very quickly, and their meltdowns are not pleasant for parents.
“When he was younger, we distracted him whenever he was about to feel sour. Now, he knows his boundaries better and that he can watch television at the appropriate time.
“Distraction works well to cut down on screen time. My 8-year-old often offers to help with watering the plants or bake a simple one-minute mug cake in the microwave.
“It also helps to plan a schedule and put in a 10 to 15 minute de-stress television time. Children learn to appreciate this and are more likely to be ready to switch it off by themselves. We also plan movie nights at home on Fridays, with popcorn, hot chocolate and blankets.
“Parents can teach kids that they need a ‘password’ before they can go to a friend’s party or have ice cream. And the ‘password’ can be completing homework first or tidying their room. This way, they can remember to cut down on screen time.”
She says the healthiest distraction for kids is sports.
“My son plays sports that he likes, such as soccer, swimming, karate and fencing. He loves music and likes learning new piano pieces. He also loves books, so we put books in his room, in the car, in the hall or anywhere we can slip them in.”
Yvonne Boey, 39, who lives in the Netherlands, does not restrict her teenage kids when it comes to gadgets, but is guilty of passing a gadget to her 5-year-old when she has to cook or do chores.
“I have a 5-year-old daughter and two teenage stepdaughters. The bigger girls have their iPhone or MacBook and they use it all the time, either to chat, listen to music or watch YouTube.
“But, we have a rule that there should be no technology during meals and no phones during bedtime. So far, it’s working pretty well as their academic results are not affected.
“For the little one, I offer her the iPad or allow television time when I need to cook or do housework. That’s an average of an hour to two a day. We tell her that she can watch two series of cartoons. And offering her some art and craft to work on or toys to play with definitely gets her attention. Some shows or gadgets can stimulate a kid’s brain, but too much can be harmful.
“She loves to play outside, especially jumping on the trampoline, playing on the swing or chalking on the street. On the weekends, we go cycling with her.
“If the weather doesn’t permit us to play outside, then toys like Little Pet Shop or Lego Friends are her favourites. For our teenage daughters, homework, musical activities or shopping can definitely occupy them.”
Boey says while limiting screen time is not a rule in their house, she and her husband are cautious of what the kids watch or do with the gadgets, adding that they constantly advise their kids to not simply signup for anything online.