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Responsibility of parents for healthy use of technology

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Responsibility of parents for healthy use of technology

Who will decide what technology is better and what is main purpose of the technology uses?

If we don’t take responsibility for our child to educate them anyone else will start to educate which will not only harmful for our children but whole society can suffer.

Hanefan Shaikh

Do we ever think why technology is getting stickier with our daily life? In the past, people grew up using a pen as naturally as their children and grandchildren growing up using a smartphone and tablets in today’s world. If you have taken some initial responsibility yourself you can feel confident that your child will act responsibly with their new “toy”. Many people still are more conscious about their child to make choices while navigating the new digital age because they want to draw a balance between manual and technological world. Furthermore, they are finding the way how it can be possible to healthy use of technology.

Usually, I feel embraced after seeing many adults who are taking their child for grant consciously or unconsciously. Let’s discuss some points and fact and figures which might be helpful for the adults who are anxious about their child. First we have some questions which shouldn’t be neglected by parents.

Almost all parents become worried about their child when they get fever even after they feel just flue. At the same time, abundance of thoughts yet strangely comes in mind when they are putting new technology toy into their kid’s hand. In this digital age, do we think about our children’s mental health? Who will decide what technology is better than another? What is main purpose of the technology uses? Don’t we are making a big market of chain smoker aha! I mean “chain hacker” to our children? How they can survive in future challengeable world if they don’t find out the difference between good and bad uses of technology?

0-baby-computerYes! I’m talking about all kinds of gadgets it can be your smart phones, tablets, laptops which we are put in the hand of our child without any consideration? As we can get free from children unintentionally or intentionally and do anything which is being beneficial or not for our life like: watching movies, cooking, might be studying or doing any other routine work. According to UNICEF the first 1000 days have a lasting effect on a child’s future. How many parents take care all about for this specific age of child?  Don’t we have chance to get it right from now? According the same studies with every hug and every kiss, with every nutritious meal and game parents play, they’re helping to build their baby’s brain. Again the question is how many parents do the act like UNICEF suggested. On the other hand, I want to share the research of uSwitch.com in 2021 where studies show that the average user wakes up their screen nearly 100 times a day. If the same touches we have done for our kids and look after our parents how wouldn’t it be a fruitful?

The parents are first responsible for the career of their children. In this pace of life, children’s whole life depend on education of their very first stage of life when they are growing like a flower we should give them all right conditions as they can grow efficiently from the beginning of a root structure. For example: Seeds generally required water and warmth. Some seeds also required light and others must go through fire or even the digestive tract of an animal to begin their germination. Same as our kids want efficient conditions to grow appropriately in the beginning. Most of the guardians pretended technology as a water in this pace of life. They think if our children don’t have gadgets it wouldn’t be survive. Might be technology play a role to warm up to your kids which is also necessary for growing? Nevertheless, it is addicting your child slowly and gradually – Addiction of watching cartoons, playing video games etc. all the time. There are thousands of examples around us to absorb the situations in general get together, parks, shopping malls, public transports where we can easily see how gadgets are destroying brains of our kids. As I mention earlier, many parents give mobile or tablets to their children for sack of playing games, and getting free for doing other home chores etc. At same time, we don’t have Idea how they are getting chain smoker or chain watcher of cartoons and video games and getting familiar with vulgar content. As a great Persian poet Jalal ud-Din Mohammad Rumi said excess use of anything is poison. So overuse of mobile phone or tablet is poison for the both physical and mental health of children. In a national survey conducted by the Erikson Institute, they found technology used by children under age of six almost globally. This study said parents use technology along with their kids on a daily basis for up to two hours. Moreover, research includes 1,000 parents around the country. According to this study 85% of parents allow in this age group children to use technology. It means peoples Smartphones, tablets, television, computer and laptops were most popular.

It is alarming for the future of children because they aren’t thinking about another perspective of the technology uses. Parents should be careful from all the aspects of its usage because they are most influential role model for the children so it is important for parents to be mindful of their own technology habits during a child’s formative years.  Parents have many important roles in helping children use technology in healthy ways. Learning how to manage, mentor and monitor around technology use for children begin with paying attention to how adults use technology in the home. Second relationship matter most in a child’s early years. Make sure to build friendly relationship with your children.

All the guardians should keep balance between technology use and other activities for child. Healthy technology use is about balance. Use technology to support the joy of learning to engage, empower, and inspire your child. Manage your own technology use thoughtfully. Young children learn habits by watching the adults around them, so model healthy technology habits. Manage the impact on family time. Children also need family time without screens and digital devices. Plan to unplug. Ask, “What can we do together when we turn our devices of?” Encourage playtime, including outdoor time, when no technology is required. If we don’t take responsibility for our child to educate them anyone else will start to educate which will not only harmful for our children but whole society can suffer.

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01-Hanefan-Shaikh-Sindh-CourierHanefan Shaikh is Lecturer at Faculty of Management Sciences, ILMA University Karachi Sindh