How to Raise Children in a World Dominated by Technology

Technology is one of the trickiest parenting challenges in 21st century. The children are so much into the social networking websites and video games that they spend most of their day in home in front of the computer. Parents all around the world are getting more and more concerned about the way their children are being raised.

Here are some of the things parents should be worried about in this age of technology.


1) Children’s social skills  

The first concerns are connected with the social skills of the children. Kids are spending most of their free time playing video games on the computer instead of going out and spending time with friends. Their communication is limited. They don’t communicate even with their parents. Face-to-face interaction is reduced to its minimum. This is a huge threat to kids’ social development.


2) Traditional reading and learning

Reading is also very limited nowadays. Kids spend most of their time in front of a TV, a computer, a mobile phone or a tablet. Tablets are replacing the notebooks. Digital learning is now preferred. If they don’t know something, they are more likely to Google it, instead of searching it in a book.


3) Safety

Kids share so much information on the Internet that parents often can’t control them. The main question is: Is the Internet a safe place? Are you sure that the information you share won’t be used in a harmful way for you?

Parents should protect their children. The least they can do is talk to their children and explain them that they should be careful when sharing some information about their personal life on the Internet.


4) Health

Kids spend much time in front of a screen. It doesn’t matter what type of technology it will be (TV, computer, smart phone, etc.), it affects their health. More and more kids are starting to wear glasses at really early age.

Children are also spending more time at home, sitting or lying on the bed instead of cleaning their room, for example. They are not practicing any sport. Exercise is really good for their overall health. Parents need to make sure that their kids are getting enough physical activity every day.


5) What should parents do?

It’s up to parents to choose the right way to raise their kids. You should set some limits to technology. For example, if you are having dinner, tell your kids to leave their phones in their room. Use this time to share your ideas and feelings.
    
Try to encourage playtime. Think of some funny games that you can play with your kids in your home or outside. Spend as much time with them as you can. Offline games will improve kid’s creativity, learning and thinking.

Do your best to become a great role model. Don’t forget that kids usually do what their parents do. If you are constantly looking at your phone or laptop, don’t expect that your kids will do something different. Limiting your own media use will be very beneficial both for you and your children.

Don’t use technology when you want to calm your kids. It may feel very good when your kids are playing video games instead of screaming around and creating a loud noise. However, this may become the only way that you could make your kids calm down. Talk with them instead. Try to be supportive. Find another strategy to teach them how to control their strong emotions.


6) The good side of technology

As everything, technology has a bad and a good side. It can help your kids develop their learning skills. They can find whatever information they need using Internet. There are so many apps that are actually labelled as educational. Kids can develop their knowledge and good memory.

Video games, for example, can be good for kids’ brain development. They can teach children to set goals and pursue them. They are faced to the challenge of making decisions and planning.

To sum it up, technology is not so bad for your kids. However, it should have some limits. Give your kids the opportunity to be online for a couple of hours but also explain them that they need to play outside too. Make sure that they have time to meet friends and socialise. Also tell them about the safety risk and the importance of the information that they share online. They need to be prepared. Don’t forget that kids will be kids and they will make lots of mistakes. You as a parent need to be the one who will always support them. Make sure that they learn from their mistakes.