HOW TO BE A SMART PARENT  

Ruwandi Perera explores what vigilant parenting means in the digital age

The UN declared 1 June the Global Day of Parents to appreciate mums and dads for selflessly committing themselves to raising their children. Ironically, the United Nations also observes 4 June as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression in an effort to end the suffering of kids from physical, mental and emotional abuse.

Today, parents are bringing up their children in a world that’s completely different to the one they grew up in. And the main difference lies in the word ‘digital.’

Developed by the University of Leicester and Revealing Reality, a report entitled ‘Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World: Index Report 2022’ shows that staying away from technology keeps children away from the good and the bad.

In the study, 75 percent of the surveyed kids said that technology was important for learning things that no one would teach them in real life. It also showed that children who spend more time with digital technology experience more of its positives and negatives while those who spend less time online have fewer opportunities for technology to impact them positively or negatively.

Digital technology is both the flame of development and furnace of destruction, depending on how we use it. So parenting needs to transform into digital parenting. This means guiding and supervising children as they use technology, monitoring and measuring screen time, and educating them on how to behave and be safe online.

Technology is present in every aspect of parenting – from keeping children entertained with Cocomelon videos when you’re at a restaurant to informing you when to change diapers.

Parents can no longer say they don’t know how to use technology and shouldn’t deny their children access to it. They need to be tech savvy, stay alert and be aware of new trends, as well as devices, apps, communication platforms, games and infotainment sites.

As one digital parenting app explains, it’s about parenting smarter, not harder.

It seems that there’s an app for everything. There are apps to manage how much screen time a child has, locate where family members are, shop for groceries according to a growing child’s changing nutrition needs and even how to plan road trips – from deciding what tech devices to pack to scheduling tech breaks.

While reaping the benefits of apps and other digital technology, parents should know which apps and sites they should block, and ensure that children only communicate with approved contacts. They must also turn off screen time during study hours and family bonding sessions, and keep discreet tabs on their children so as not to hover over them like annoying drones.

It’s almost like teaching your kids how to play in the park. Too much play and they’ll end up doing nothing else, get sun­burnt and run the risk of injury if the park isn’t maintained well. Far too little and they’ll become overweight, have poor motor skills and not move around with other kids.

Technology has opened wide the doors to development and made it more attractive than ever. With accessible, interactive and engaging content that mixes text, audio and visuals, learning has become appealing to kids. It has also connected children with friends and families who live far away.

Technology is a creativity enabler with diverse platforms for kids to learn art, music and crafts skills. Video games are perfect for helping them improve their problem solving skills and develop strategic thinking.

However, when overused or abused, technology brings its own set of negatives such as sleep deprivation and lower attention spans. Addiction and anxiety can arise due to excessive screen time. Children may even prefer gaming and online activities to outdoor and physical sports, resulting in obesity and other health issues. And they will often seek solitude, resulting in poor social skills.

To be a digital parent, one must keep abreast of new tech and be alert to the dangers that could harm your children. These include cyberbullying, online predators, addiction and so on.

Most of all, parents should strive to be role models since children often imitate the adults they know. So mums and dads must manage their own screen time and what time they surf the internet, prioritise what needs to be done, and practise ethical online behaviour.

We can’t allow the cons of technology to be a barrier to the pros. The future is tech and depriving children of it will only result in them being isolated, outdated and out of the game of life.