According to Us Weekly, Kate Middleton and Prince William don’t let their children play with iPads at home. It’s a move that some parents might agree with, while other parents might criticise their choice to do so.
“As two people who grew up without gadgets for entertainment themselves, William and Kate are firm believers in toys, outdoor play and encouraging an active imagination,” a source shared with Us Weekly.
Is it okay to not let your kids use gadgets?
According to the source, George like to ride bikes with his dad, and Charlotte loves playing Disney Princess. (Funnily enough, she’s a real princess herself.)
However, is it healthy for parents to completely ban their kids from using gadgets?
The truth is, it’s very difficult to completely ban your kids from using gadgets at a young age, especially since the internet is now a part of our daily lives. Devices such as iPads, tablets, and smartphones are also a part of our every day.
These gadgets provide an opportunity for kids to learn, as there are educational apps and websites that kids can utilize so that they can learn. But it’s also important for parents to monitor how their kids use these gadgets.
What do experts recommend?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommends that parents make a point to prioritise “creative, unplugged playtime for infants and toddlers. Some media can have educational value for children starting at around 18 months of age, but it’s critically important that this be high-quality programming.”
“For school-aged children and adolescents, the idea is to balance media use with other healthy behaviours,” they add.
Here is what the AAP recommends when it comes to the use of gadgets and media when it comes to kids:
- For kids younger than 18 months, the use of screen media, should be avoided, aside from video-chatting. Parents should also choose only high-quality media to show their kids, and make sure that they watch those shows alongside their kids.
- For kids who are two to five years of age, screen time should be about an hour, and only with high-quality programs. As usual, parents should watch with their kids so that they can help their kids understand what they are seeing.
- For kids who are six years of age and above, they can have more screen time, but it should not get in the way of sleep, physical activity, and other things that kids need in order to develop.
- It’s also important to learn when to “disconnect” and bond as a family. Dinnertime should be a “media-free” time, wherein the family can just talk and share what happened in their day.
Hopefully, these tips will help parents manage the screen-time that they give their kids. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the internet and using gadgets, but too much of it can also become a bad thing.
Sources: Family Share, aap.org
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