Touchscreens are still very much a novelty in all our lives. They certainly couldn’t be called a passing fad, that’s for sure. And as much as we hate to admit it, the chances are that we are all guilty of using them a little too much. I know I am.
I recall telling my husband in no uncertain terms whilst clutching my beloved Nokia 6310 that I would “never” resort to reading the news on a mobile phone or tablet, preferring to take a trip to the paper shop instead. It didn’t take me long to skip over to the ‘dark side’. These days, whatever is written in the morning papers seems such old news by tea time, it’s as though it was penned weeks ago!
Despite having the world at my fingertips and being able to read everyone's opinion on events as they happen - presidents and celebrities alike - I much prefer life as it was. Not least because of my children and how I worry about them entering the cyber world!
They already have tablets which come in very handy I might add when I am desperately trying to get an hour’s work done, but such is their short existence, who knows the damage they might be doing to our little ones? For now, we don’t really know what the true effects of device overload are but we DO know that they affect our sleep.
A recent study by Birkbeck, University of London, claims that toddlers could be suffering the most due to fiddling with tablets and smartphones too much during the day.
The research showed that children aged 6 months to 3 years who spent more time playing with touch screen devices during the day got less sleep overall and took longer to fall asleep compared with the youngsters who used touch screens less frequently. It also emerged that babies and small children who used touch screens more often slept more during the day but less at night.
Led by study author, Tim Smith, a lecturer in cognitive psychology at Birkbeck, researchers asked more than 700 families in the UK to complete an online questionnaire asking parents how often their youngsters played with a smartphone or tablet on a typical day. The parents also provided a sleep diary.
The study found that as children’s touchscreen time increased, it cut into their sleep, with every additional hour relating to 15.6 minutes less total sleep. This could be due to children using screens when they should be sleeping, or it could be that their use is stimulating both mentally and physiologically, making it more difficult to nod off.
So how do you limit your child’s screen time?
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Issue a 10 minute warning! Tell them when the countdown is on for them to hand it over
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Take it away - if they refuse to give it up, just remove it from their clutches and suffer the consequences, as noisy as they may be...
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Offer an alternative - reading, playing a board game, going for a bike ride perhaps?
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Make clear boundaries - Let them know when devices are not allowed such as at mealtimes and during the hour before bed
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Set an example! If your children see you staring at your device for hours on end they will think it is acceptable behaviour
There is something else....You could also divert attention away from devices in the evening by making your child’s bedroom a cosy and inviting haven of sleep. Which child needs a smartphone or tablet when they can drift off to dreamland in a beautiful children’s bed with a comfortable luxury mattress?
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