Nowadays we live surrounded by technology, in fact, young children have not seen a world without it. Therefore, when it comes to educating them, many questions arise, such as: How much ‘screen time’ is too much? Are children losing their ability to socialise? Are children capable of having fun without resorting to technology?
For some time now, fashion about screen use have been changing. One of the most recent changes is to focus on more motor, experimental, creative and experiential aspects of pre-school education. As a result, technology and its use is relegated to later stages such as Primary and Secondary.
Sometimes the reality in a family can be different, so we propose a few TIPS for reconciling technology and family.
1. Parental supervision: Supervise the time and content of screens according to the age of the child.
2. Selection of programmes: Choose educational content and encourage family dialogue.
3. Encourage other activities: Prioritise reading, outdoor play and sport.
4. Disconnection at mealtimes: Avoid the use of screens during meals and school activities.
5. Bedtime routine: No screen use at least two hours before bedtime.
6. Adult role model: Parents should model a balanced use of screens, especially at family moments.
It is important to educate in the good use of technology; denying its existence is not an option in an educational context. Sooner or later, our students, your children, will get to know it, either through friends or in other circumstances. And they have to be prepared to deal with it. So, within our educational work, we have the responsibility to teach them about the benefits and harms of the use of technology, be it mobile phones, laptops, ipads or other media, which open up a wide, unknown and not always safe world to them.
