Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Do they make time for other things  such as physical play? I lost count of the number of followers I gained on my TikTok account when schools closed, and I can assure you that nearly all of them are school-going children. Getting mine has been a hassle to the point it takes changing their environment to get them outside the house. 

But how did we get here? Why are children ever glued to the screen? Since when did I start looking for ways to get them their own screens so they can leave my phone to me? 

Blame it on the lockdown

We all agree that the Covid-19 pandemic played its part in keeping everyone indoors. With no time for preparations (I still think we could have gotten creative), we were doomed to spend all our time on the screen – TVs, phones … some, like me, went on to purchase extra devices such as tablets to minimise the fights among the children. We limited their outdoor time to breaks instead of the other way around, and now, look at us!

Did the reopening of schools help?

I thought getting back to school would help get them off the screen and back to their active selves. It did on the first part as they got busy with tonnes of classwork. However, with no Physical Education (PE) or school trips allowed, our children remained immobile and grounded. I remember Ella and my nephew Breyson leaving their classes at 4pm and rushing to our offices to grab our phones.

Some good comes from it

Today, our struggle continues with screens. They want to eat while watching something, clean while watching and pause, so no one watches anything when they aren’t watching! 

However, I am rather glad that my eldest has improved her cooking skills with the numerous recipes she gets online. Both she and Raine have also gained storytelling skills from narrations. They try out funky hairstyles and practice singing. Finally, my children have perfected their language skills. So, while I need them to get physically fit, this screen time has done some good…yes, some.