Gone are the days of children riding their bikes without parental
supervision, building treehouses and playing street cricket with their
neighbourhood friends. The modern child is much more likely to be
found indoors glued to a screen. In this essay, I will outline two key
factors that are driving this trend and suggest ways youngsters can be
redirected towards more physical and creative pursuits.
In my view, the main reason why children spend so much time on their
devices these days is simply because there is so much media to
consume. Whereas youngsters in the past had to wait for their favourite
shows to come on at a certain time, nowadays, thanks to services like
Netflix and YouTube, they have access to an unprecedented amount of
content. Not only is there more, but the quality is high and variety
endless. As such, it can be difficult for children to turn off.
Another factor contributing to the increasingly sedentary nature of young
people is the rise in digital technology more broadly. With the internet on
their phones, immersive video games on their laptops, not to mention
the lure of social media and other addictive apps, children can struggle
Children nowadays spend more time on screens and less time
doing active or creative things.
Why do you think this is the case?
What measures could be taken to encourage children to spend
more time doing active and creative things.
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to disconnect and get out into the real world. Indeed, even primary aged
children can be found hunched over their tablets at lunchtime rather than
running around or engaging in imaginative play.
To tackle this problem, parents need to play a more pivotal role. The first
step is to set firm boundaries around screen time. If they do not,
youngsters are unable to draw the line for themselves. Cutting off
access to devices or establishing reasonable limits would force children
to find another activity to entertain themselves. Regarding physical
activity, this too falls to the parents. Given the powerful attraction of
screens and devices, parents simply must physically remove their child
from the house and model good behaviour themselves. Walking to
school and going to the park after class are two easy ways parents can
ensure their children are moving.
In conclusion, while screens have always been alluring to children,
resistance is now becoming almost impossible. In order to maintain
balance for these young people, and to ensure they are exercising both
mind and body, it is incumbent on parents to set limits and, more
importantly, to set a good example themselves.
Gone
are
the days of
children
riding their bikes without parental
supervision, building treehouses and playing street cricket with their
neighbourhood
friends. The modern child is much more likely to
be
found
indoors glued to a
screen
. In this essay, I will outline two
key
factors that are driving this trend and suggest ways youngsters can be
redirected
towards more physical and creative pursuits.
In my view, the main reason why
children
spend
so
much
time
on their
devices these days is
simply
because
there is
so
much
media to
consume
. Whereas youngsters in the past had to wait for their
favourite
shows
to
come
on at a certain
time
, nowadays, thanks to services like
Netflix and YouTube, they have access to an unprecedented amount of
content
. Not
only
is there more,
but
the quality is high and
variety
endless
. As such, it can be difficult for
children
to turn off.
Another factor contributing to the
increasingly
sedentary nature of young
people
is
the rise in digital technology more
broadly
. With the internet
on
their phones, immersive video games on their laptops, not to mention
the lure of social media and other addictive apps,
children
can struggle
Children nowadays spend more
time
on
screens
and less time
doing
active or creative things.
Why do you
think
this is the case?
What measures could
be taken
to encourage
children
to spend
more
time
doing active and creative things.
Sign
up for free at E2Language.
com
to
disconnect and
get
out into the real world.
Indeed
, even primary aged
children can
be found
hunched over their tablets at lunchtime
rather
than
running
around or engaging in imaginative play.
To tackle this problem,
parents
need to play a more pivotal role. The
first
step
is to set firm boundaries around
screen
time
. If they do not,
youngsters are unable to draw the line for themselves. Cutting
off
access to devices or establishing reasonable limits would force children
to
find another activity to entertain themselves. Regarding
physical
activity
, this too falls to the
parents
.
Given
the powerful attraction
of
screens and devices,
parents
simply
must
physically
remove their child
from
the
house
and model
good
behaviour
themselves. Walking
to
school and going to the park after
class
are two easy ways
parents
can
ensure
their
children
are moving.
In conclusion
, while
screens
have always been alluring to children,
resistance is
now
becoming almost impossible. In order to
maintain
balance for these young
people
, and to ensure they are exercising both
mind and body, it is incumbent on
parents
to set limits and, more
importantly
, to set a
good
example themselves.