For better or worse, many parents rely on iPads and similar technology to keep their kids busy and entertained.
But a mother has banned her five-year-old daughter from using the device and insists it has made her smarter and better behaved.
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The mother, who frequents The Nicole World on social media, explained that in the three weeks since she banned her daughter from using the iPad, she has noticed a huge difference.
Apparently, your daughter no longer asks to use the iPad first thing in the morning and when she gets home from school, something that used to be common.
“There’s definitely an addiction and this kind of desire to want to use a device when you always have access to it,” Nicole said.
And with time away from the screen, the mother said that her daughter has been playing with her toys and using her imagination a lot more.
Not only that, but she even started asking more questions and “learning a lot more at home than I normally would.”
But it wasn’t just the iPad that was banned in Nicole’s house.
YouTube also got the axe, and the mother said that forbidding it resulted in her daughter being generally “calmer” and “nicer.”
“She’s doing a lot more as she’s told now, especially in the mornings, she’s just putting her shoes on without even being asked sometimes.
“She’s brushing her teeth the second she says she’s helping make the bed, she’s dressed and ready first thing in the morning,” Nicole said.
So it’s no surprise that the mom has encouraged other parents to reduce their kids’ screen time.
While Nicole has said she will never allow her daughter to have screen time or use her iPad, taking a break has undoubtedly made a difference, at least as far as she’s concerned.
The mom also noted that spending time away from the iPad and YouTube means her daughter will appreciate it more when she has screen time.
Nicole’s iPad ban comes after study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that parents who give devices to calm children during “emotional moments” often backfire.
The study looked at children ages 3 to 5 and the study’s lead author, Dr. Jenny Radesky, said that “soothing the device” was correlated with an increase in emotional outbursts in certain children.
“Anytime a negative behavior is followed by something pleasant, it will unintentionally and accidentally reinforce it,” she said.
Instead, the study suggested that parents should calm their children with other methods, such as making them exercise or hugging them.
Other parents took to Nicole’s viral comments TikTok to share the results of the ban screen, and many agreed that they noticed a huge difference.
“We banned YouTube and noticed a lot less aggression,” said one mother.
“My son was banned from the iPad a month ago and is doing great without it,” wrote a second.
And a third said: “We did this to our three-year-old son, he only allowed him Nintendo on the weekend for a few hours.”
How long should children spend on screens?
Dr. Amanda, a parenting expert and child psychologist, provided a general guide for parents who want to limit screen time.
Age 1-3 years
How long: 5 minutes per year of life in one go
Dr. Gummer says, “If you really expect your child to learn from the screen time they have, then a rule of thumb is that, on average, children can concentrate for 5 minutes per year of their life (i.e. 15 minutes at 3 years of age).”
Age 1+
How long: 1 hour per day
Dr Gummer says: “For younger children, we think around 1 hour a day is a sensible limit to achieve on a typical weekday.
“Once you add up time on mobile devices, TV, computers and other devices with screens, this may not seem like much (and remember that kids can have screen time at school).”
Age 2+
How long: 2 hours a day
Dr. Gummer says, “Several sources, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend no more than 2 hours per day (for children ages 2 and older).”
Children of all ages
More than two hours a day is excessive use
Dr Gummer says: “A recent study observed some harmful effects in teenagers who used more than 3 hours of screen time per day and consider this ‘excessive use’
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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