Today very often you can see a couple or group of friends in a restaurant looking at phones rather than looking and talking with each other. Similarly, you can easily find a family where every member is busy on their devices and nobody is seeking or giving attention to each other. This habit of gluing with the screen is stealing a lot from us at every moment. We are going away from the real world and real connection, we can't feel it because we think, we are doing our online work or talking with a distant friend but in reality, gluing with a screen is impacting our lives in several ways.
Screen time study
A study done about the impact of screen time on family relationships and children discloses a lot of facts, which can compel any sensible person to revisit and rethink about their habit of gluing with the screen. In a family, kids are considered most important, and the study reveals some awful and alarming impacts of the screen on kids.
The study reveals, parents often use screens to engage their kids into them. So, that they don't have to face any difficulty and they can either do their work or simply surf on their smartphone. This trick seems to work for parents as it eases their load, but always letting baby involved in the screen, make them less socially cognitive and in long term impact their life.
Parents also use screens while interacting with their kids, in initial stages, kids learn their behavior by looking at parents or caretaker. Because parents stay busy on the screen while interacting with kids, kids learn the same things and they also look to do what parents are doing.
Screen time and relationships
Not only kids, but screen time is also impacting relationships; which is a bonding factor for a family. A relationship becomes deeper by spending time together and listening to each other, but screen time acts as a hindrance in these activities and it makes your relationship weak. Couples start misunderstanding their spouse in a dearth of real communication. It can lead to family problems, or at least you will miss a lot which you can do together by not being glued with the screen.
Screen time is a growing problem for individuals as well as their families. But the screen is not the root of all these problems. This is the age of digital technology and screens have revolutionized our world. In this age of digitalization, staying away is not a solution. But we need and we have to become good digital citizens.
Addiction to screen impacts family life, but conscious use of digital technology can do magic in our family lives and it can enhance our togetherness. Being a good digital citizen means adopting to use technology and not being used by them. We can be a good digital citizen by doing several things. For freeing ourselves from screen addiction, we have to acknowledge the reasons which make us glue with the screen. One renowned physiological factor is Fear Of Missing Something, which always fears that if we do not check our news feed often, we will miss something. We have to get away from this behavior and have to consciously plan our screen time.
For that, we need a screen time manager, which informs us about our daily screen time and notify us when the limit is about to expire. Avosmart screen time app can help you in managing your screen time. For that, you have to install the app and have to plan certain hours per day of screen use which incorporates all your digital needs. Once hours are set, the screen time app will start working and managing it. Screen time apps made by Avosmart will help you define the healthy mode in the digital age for your family. Once you begin practicing this habit of conscious and limited screen uses, it will become part of your life and you will realize how much you were missing by being glued up with the screen.
Rather than letting technology be a curse for family life, you can turn it into a thread which joins your family members. For that, you can discuss common interests of family members and as per that play games or watch stuff of similar interest together. Using screens together with family members will bring you closer and help you understand each other.
Going outdoors for cinema is also great, when you do things together it enhances your relationship. On the internet, you can find many activities which you can do with the family. Avosmart screen time apps will also suggest activities that will define a healthy mode of technology for family.
By applying the above ideas in your life, you will be a smart digital citizen and a great family man. In becoming a good digital citizen and family man, screen time apps and using screens together will help, but apart from that you also have to make some rules; like not using a screen on the dinner table or while watching any family show or while having a conversation with a kid. These small steps only will change your family life significantly. After that, the time which you save by restricting screen time. You can use it in visiting favorite places, hanging out together in a pool or amusement park. If you have a baby then try to give him less exposure to the screen. Verbal interaction is the best nourishment for the baby.