Too Much Screen Time is Harming Your Kids: Here’s the Perfect Digital Detox
Children today know more about technology than ever. They can figure out the latest apps and video games faster than many adults. But this technological literacy comes at a big cost.
Unfortunately, it’s a common sight to see kids glued to their screens for upwards of 8 hours daily. The result is a host of problems that can affect their growth at school, home, and life in general.
To see what we mean, let’s consider the harms of too much screen time for children.
The Dangers of Too Much Screen Time
Just like it’s possible to drink too much water, eat too much food, sleep too much and exercise too much, it’s also possible to use digital devices too much.
Here are just a few of the many harms the rising screen times are doing to our children:
1. Attention Struggles
Companies spend upwards of billions of dollars to keep us glued to our screens, tapping away on their apps and games. This is especially addictive for our little ones. But all this endless supply of dopamine and excitement makes it impossible to focus when they really need to.
Any worthy endeavour in life requires careful consideration and unshakable focus. Whether we talk about reading, writing, solving math and science problems, or general problem-solving in life, everything depends on our ability to focus.
But too much screen time can dull our discipline and make us vulnerable to temptations. It becomes extremely hard to sit down and focus when we know that an endless supply of emotional rollercoasters is always one tap away.
2. Behavioural Issues
Kids love to mimic those around them. That’s the way nature programmed them to learn and grow. But in today’s digital-obsessed world, it’s common to see families buried deep into their smartphone screens instead of talking to each other at dinner.
Many children spend more time with digital characters and online personalities than the people around them. The obvious result is that they pick up the language, behaviour, and temperaments that they see on their screens.
Considering the drop in discipline that comes from too much digital time, you can see how easy it is for devices to shape the behaviour r of our little ones—for the worst.
Fighting with siblings, snapping at teachers, disrespecting adults, and showing an overall lack of empathy are common side effects.
3. Emotional Intelligence Deficits
With more than 8 hours of screen time, it’s no surprise that many children rarely go outside or have interesting real-world interactions today. But without physical interactions, where we can see the other person’s face and pick up on subtle cues of how they’re feeling and what impact our actions are having on them, it’s easy to miss out on emotional intelligence skills.
In other words, too much screen time often leads to inadequate development in areas of understanding and expressing emotions, picking up on subtle face and body language, and an overall drop in emotional regulation too.
That last one is important for the mental well-being of your little one as emotional regulation is how we control our impulses and learn to do the things that are harder but for the better.
All these issues eventually turn into serious problems like obesity, sleep disorders, restlessness, and other health complications.
The Perfect Digital Detox for Your Kid
Trying to snatch the screens away from your kids is like taking coffee from someone who gulps half a dozen cups daily: it never goes well.
The better solution is to get your children engaged in a beneficial activity for a limited time daily. This will kickstart a chain reaction that will naturally help them develop better habits over time.
Now, what should you get your kids into? Many experts agree that judo is the perfect antidote to too much screen time.
Here are just a few reasons why judo is a great digital detox:
● Every move in every drill and sparring session requires precision that’s only possible with absolute concentration. The more they practice concentration, the better they get at it.
● Humbleness in victory and humility in defeat are the key tenants of this martial arts culture. Kids learn to see failures as mere setbacks they can grow from. Victory is a chance to display grace and humbleness. These teachings help kids master emotional regulation, self-control, and build discipline for life—bringing behaviour issues under control and turning them into responsible young individuals.
● Of course, judo is a physical sport after all. So it goes without saying that raising healthy and happy kids is a lot easier when your little ones are getting their daily dose of fun exercise through an activity they love. Strength, endurance, and stamina are all covered in judo. Not to mention the stretching and muscle relaxation aspects.
These are just a handful of the many ways judo can turn impressionable youth into strong, healthy, and happy individuals. To learn more, be sure to read our blog.
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