There are a few pediatricians who advise that children below 12 should be prevented from using high-tech gadgets like hand-held devices. They also advise that children above six should not be allowed to view television beyond two hours a day. These pediatricians do not advise that parents should keep policing and regulating their children but they advise that parents should instead do away with their high-tech gadgets, hand-held devices so that kids may not get access to these items. If they do not do away with these items, children may get confused as to how parents can use the items but prevent them from using the items.
What do parenting experts say about this?
But, a few other parenting experts consider these opinions as debatable. These experts opine that parents cannot keep watching their kids for regulating their media use. If these children go to the houses of their friends or relatives or when they work on their computers in their school labs, they may have access to the media. Parents cannot dictate how others should behave. This means that children will have opportunities even if parents prevent them from using the gadgets. Further, constant policing may be an exhausting task.
Children should learn to regulate themselves
The question now is whether parenting in the tech age involves constant policing or overseeing every activity of children. The only answer to this can be that children should learn to regulate themselves. To be more precise, they should be taught to regulate their use of these gadgets or exposure to media. Experts also suggest that good parenting involves educating children to manage and utilize their time wisely because parents cannot prevent proliferation of gadgets and media exposure, nor they will find regulating and policing useful.
How model behavior can help
These experts opine that model behavior is the best approach to educate children. Children imitate and learn from others and especially, from parents. Though the present-day kids have a lot of exposure, involve in a lot of outside activities and may have a number of friends, they look upon their parents as their first role models. They rely upon them for their guidance. So, if parents regulate their own media exposure and use of gadgets, children may also learn this habit.
Parents should involve themselves with their children
In the same manner, even in the case of using gadgets, watching television or other media like YouTube, parents should sit with the children and ask them to show them their favorite programs or online spaces. Parents can also share details of their interests with children so that they may start imitating or emulating them.
Learning to use the benefits of high tech gadgets
High-tech gadgets, television or exposure to other types of media are not bad. In fact, there are many advantages because they can play a vital and positive role in everyone’s lives. It has been found that these gadgets and media exposure trigger creativity in people including in children. Handheld technologies have developed so well that some of the gadgets are highly useful for children with special needs.