When Ms Angela Lee realised that her
eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son were hooked on her
tablet computer and smartphone, she decided that a digital fast was
in order.
The 39-year-old finance manager said: "The first thing
they would do when they arrived home from school was to go online.
Our helper could never get them to log off.
"It got to the point where I was calling the house
several times a day, just to tell them to get offline and remind
them they had homework to do. I thought, 'I cannot keep doing
this.' I was worried their schoolwork would suffer because of their
preoccupation with the gadgets."
She added: "Also, my son could not sit down for a meal
without a smartphone in his hands. That was when it hit me that
unless I staged an intervention of sorts, my kids would grow up to
be tech addicts - something I did not want."
So, with her husband's support, Ms Lee had a pep talk
with her kids and put her family on a technology detox the
following weekend.
It is a well-known fact that over-exposure to the
Internet and tech devices can have negative effects on one's
concentration.
Mr Daniel Koh, a psychologist at Insights Mind Centre,
added that people who spend too much time online may also have poor
social skills.
"Being in this tech comfort zone makes it easy for them
to switch off and they lose interest in everything that is going on
outside of that environment," he said.
Dr Lim Boon Leng, a psychiatrist at Dr BL Lim Centre
for Psychological Wellness, agreed.
"Social isolation is a real problem for people who are
hooked on gadgets. It is not uncommon to see such individuals
neglect their social responsibilities because they are so lost in
that digital world.
"Youngsters who miss out on opportunities for social
interaction may end up with poor social skills when they are
older," he said.
According to a study conducted by Kaspersky Lab and
Iconkids & Youth, the Internet causes problems not just for the
one immersed in technology but also between that individual and his
family members.
The study, which was published last July, involved
3,780 families in the United States, the United Kingdom, France,
Italy, Russia, Spain and Germany.
It revealed that about 20 per cent of parents and
children felt that the Internet can be the cause of family
arguments.
Among the parents surveyed, 64 per cent felt they were
no longer the primary contact point for their children. In fact, 23
per cent said their children now prefer to go online rather than
approach them when they have questions or want advice.
Families also tended to sacrifice quality time together
when their members spend too much time online - something Dr Lim
said can also cause a strain in relationships.
If you are worried about your little ones becoming
socially isolated, or you want to improve communication among your
family members at home, you may want to consider giving your family
a tech break.
Going two or three days without the Internet or tech
devices can help reduce your children's dependency on them and
expose them to new ways of spending their free time.
There is a way to go about implementing a digital
detox, however.
Do not simply hide the gadgets or disconnect the Wi-Fi
and expect everyone to deal with it.
The trick is to slowly wean your family members off
technology, so they are able to see how enjoyable a tech-free day
can be.
You will need everyone's cooperation and understanding,
so explain your intentions and expectations.
Tell them why it is important for the family to go
tech-free for a day or two and share with them what you hope to
achieve during the detox - for example, build closer relationships
with one another and find new bonding experiences.
Plan when the detox will happen and give your family
time to emotionally prepare for it.
Decide how you want to go about this - a completely
digital-free weekend may not be possible, so Dr Lim suggested
implementing digital-free hours during the day and making certain
areas of the house digital-free instead. Try this over a long
weekend and see how it goes.
"For example, you may wish to ban digital devices
during mealtimes and one hour prior to bedtime and make it clear
that no digital devices are to be used in the bedrooms and dining
room," said Dr Lim.
"Initially, you may have to disconnect the Wi-Fi and
put all the gadgets aside, but once your kids get used to it and
become more disciplined, simply switching off the devices will
do."
You do not want your children to feel bored during the
tech break so plan some activities for them.
It is also important to spend time together as a
family, said Mr Koh.
Take the children out to the park, enjoy quality time
with your husband or play board games or charades instead of
watching TV. Encourage your children to share their stories with
you.
"This means sticking to your own rules when it comes to
digital-free hours or zones and not going back on your word about
spending quality time together as a family," said Mr Koh.
This article is adapted from Simply
Her.
via
TNP