5 Ways to Get Your Kids Offline
What’s your teen’s favorite occupation? What is he or she most likely be doing at this time? Well, you’re certainly sitting at your PC reading this and catching up on your social networking updates. Chances are – and very high chances – that your kid is also online engaged in social media. How can we be so sure? Easily.
Just check the statistics:
95% of children aged between 12 and 17 are currently online.
Within this age group, the use of smartphones is growing dramatically, in 2011 it was 23%, whereas two years later this figure has risen to 37%.
90% of teenagers who are often online admit to having used social media.
What’s more, according to PewResearch Internet Project, Act for Youth, our children registered on social sites upload their photos (91%), post the place where they live and their school names (71%), give their email addresses (53%) and even their phone number (one in five!).
Considering this, we realize that it is becoming a problem to have our kids get enough sunlight and open air, communicate with us face-to-face apart from exchanging texts, and ensure they have a proper balance of social, physical and creative activities.
Can we counteract the attractions of the Internet and get our kids from under the Net? Parents who succeeded in tackling this issue share some tips towards that.
Think over your own schedule and adopt a more balanced one – you are always in your teens’ eyes and if you are logged in all of the time they will naturally emulate you. Keep in mind that their behavior will be modelled by yours. At least explain to them seriously that if you spend much time at your computer, it is because you’re working and not addicted to online socializing.
Arrange a charging place away from their bedrooms to ensure that they are not texting their friends far into the night instead of getting their share of healthy sleep.
Limit their computer time. It can be a very controversial issue, but you needn’t be afraid of your teenagers’ anger directed at you. As a parent, you are supposed to be able to deal with it, and assume control over a situation that displeases you.
Have their passwords so you can log in and check what they are doing on Instagram. No, they won’t like that, but such sites are pretty quarrelsome; remind them that it was you who purchased the computer and neither you nor they want any problems in their lives because of a posting or a message.
Get them to understand that access to social networking is not their basic right but a kind of treat. It can be withhold from them if you don’t like how they present yourself there or how much time they spend there.
These five tips, judiciously applied, can solve the problem once and for all. Probably your kids will even grow to appreciate your participation in their online socializing. Though, it may turn out to be one of your hardest tasks. Nevertheless, you would do well not to shy away.
To round it off, here’s what the statistic says about us adults: 73% of grown-ups online use some social network site, with 42% using multiple social platforms.
