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If there was a time that technology became more accessible to children worldwide, it had to be during  Covid-19 pandemic period, which we are yet to fully recover from as new variants keep popping up. Well, with children at home, many turned to computers and smart gadgets to support learners at home. At the same time, not being able to let the children play with others only meant more time for TV and gadgets. 

Although some screen time can be educational, it’s easy to go overboard if you are not cautious as a parent. When asked how much TV time her children have, Lyn Katana, a Mombasa-based mother of two boys admitted that as much time because it might be the only solution for her children who are a handful.

“As a mother, I think I pay TV for the children more than myself. They have a lot of energy. Children are different. If I did not let them watch their favourite cartoons, then they would want to play with me, they would be running around just ruining my things. They are not able to read yet and the only distraction is the cartoons. It’s either TV or the toys. I feel like they learn a lot, especially language growth and creativity,” shares the stay-at-home mother.

While most seven-year-olds would want more TV time, Jackline Laura shares that she is strict when it comes to how much screen time her son gets. 

“During December holidays, I had to regulate my son’s screen time. After going through the normal morning routine, swhich include; brushing his teeth, making his bed and having breakfast, he would get two hours TV time. After that, he would go outside to play, ride bike and then come back for lunch. Then we would do tuition before having some TV time. I made sure the content was educational. Now with schools open, my son can only watch TV during weekends,” shares Jackline

Instead of TV, she includes outdoor activities such as going to the beach, church, shopping or simply chilling out togetherforsome mother-son talk.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that babies (under one) not be exposed to electronic screens at all. Older children’s screen time should also be limited to no more than one or two hours a day. This is because there are many health problems, which are closely linked to too much TV. For instance; the more TV and video your child watches, the greater his or her risk is of becoming overweight. Having a TV or other electronics in a child’s bedroom increases this risk as well. Children can also develop an appetite for junk food promoted in ads, as well as overeat while watching on electronics. 

Secondly, children who spend more than two hours of screen time a day are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. Exposure to video games is also linked to an increased possibility of attention problems in children.

Be a role model

At the same time, too much exposure to violence through media can desensitise children to violence. As a result, children might learn to accept violent behaviour as a normal way to solve problems…There is a whole truckload of reasons your child’s TV time needs to be regulated. 

Talking on how to navigate TV exposure, Child Psychologist Faith Mutegi who hosts Parenting Conundrums on YouTube advises parents to lead by example. “You are the mentor… the role model when it comes to giving your child ideas on what to do when they don’t have a TV around. And the answer is books, books, books. I’m not saying you make it a challenge of completing a certain number of books within certain duration. What I mean is bigger bookshelves, smaller TV,” shares the psychologist.

Faith advises investing on children books, a timetable that will include activities and chores for both child and parent, and finding what to do on other hours. For this, she suggests creating a creativity jar.

“Create creativity jar/things to do jar. This is where you and your child write down activities in pieces of papers and put it in a container. It keeps your child engaged. These will include things such as; draw a map of your grandma’s homestead, identify and draw the types of birds around you… or even clouds. This helps in transferring the knowledge from class into real life. Create a recipe book together — do they know where tomatoes, potatoes come from?  These activities can even include planting, say beans. These activities create excitement and children have something to look forward to. Show them how to use a hammer or needle. They might pick it up as an interest sor just learn something new,” shares the expert.