Good and Bad Screen time

What should I think about screen time for my children?

Screentime for children is a big topic and a lot of parents debate about it. There's no doubt that technology has made our lives easier. Nowadays, our mobile phones, tablets and laptops have become a part of our daily routine. While we as adults use these devices for work and for other tasks, our children use it mostly for entertainment. However, not all content found on the internet can be beneficial for our kids. Experts recommend that kids should not spend more than an hour every day of screen time. We have to keep in mind that too much of something is bad enough and that there is such a thing as good and bad screen time. 

What is good and what is bad screentime for children?

Whether your child is watching an educational video on his mobile device or doing homework on a computer, so long as there is learning involved and that your child is able to exercise his cognitive and physical skills, that is considered as Active Screen Time or Good Screen Time. 

Passive Screentime or Bad Screen Time on the other hand is an activity wherein your child is able to view something from his device without any thought, creativity or interaction. Some examples of passive screen time would be browsing through social media apps or watching TV or DVDs. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure that what your child is watching is considered as good screen time:

Educational and informative content - make sure that the videos that your child is watching are not only appropriate for their age but also something that they can learn from. A video of ABCs or shapes and numbers for your babies is recommended and for your toddlers a little more suitable content like nursery rhymes would be the best choice.

Value-oriented shows - This is crucial for your child's development. TV shows and video content that enable your child to interact with the host or other children can improve his social skills moving forward.

Creative and fun content - Let you kids watch a video on how to blow a bubble or how to build a sandcastle can surely unlock your kid's creative side. Soon, they'll be drawn into similar content wherein they can improve their skills even more.

While all of those shows are highly beneficial for your child, there are some videos that you and your kid should stay away from. Below are some examples on how bad screen times can greatly affect your child's behaviour and development:

Poor social skills - Most kids that spend all day with their gadgets have poor social skills and tend to be content being alone all the time. As early as possible make sure that your child does not spend more than an hour with whatever gadget they have so as to avoid these types of social issues.

Speech delays - Some people think that children exposed to a lot of screen time can learn more than children with less screen time is actually incorrect. The fact of the matter is that it has been scientifically proven that children exposed to excessive screen time affects their ability to communicate thus having speech delays. While it is true that this can be treated by therapists, prevention is always better than cure.

Irregular sleep schedules - Kids that are attached to their gadgets often have difficulties going to sleep and when they do fall asleep, they usually wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep again. It is important that as parents, installing a sleep routine is recommended to not only control their screen time but also to make sure they get the right amount of sleep recommended for their age.

Weight gain - Kids who spend a lot of time on their phones or gadgets often prefer to stay indoors than play outside with their friends. The lack of physical activity often leads to a child being overweight and sooner or later that weight gain would lead to other medical issues.

             At the end of the day, what matters the most is that we are aware of what our kids watch on their devices. Though we cannot control everything, let this be a guide on how we can take advantage of the good things our devices can bring to us and our kids. 

How do Scarlett Panda’s bedtime stories improve the quality of screen time for my children? 

One of the ways on how Scarlett Panda's bedtime stories can improve the quality of screen time for your children is that the bedtime stories are not lengthy. Scarlett Panda's bedtime stories are within the recommended screen time for children so you do not have to worry about your children spending too much time reading on their mobile devices. Scarlett Panda's bedtime stories include a moral lesson and teaches your kids valuable lessons which can help them to become better individuals. These are a few of a many ways on how Scarlett Panda's bedtime stories can improve the quality of screen time for your children. Make it a habit to include Scarlett Panda's bedtime stories as part of your sleeptime routine. With a wide range of bedtime stories you can create using Scarlett Panda’s children's book generator, your children will surely look forward to hearing another great story every single night and that's what makes bedtime routines special with Scarlett Panda.