It is frustrating when your child cannot stop playing with a smartphone. When you were growing up, you did not have the same technology, but you had a rich childhood. You worry that your child is missing a lot because of smartphone addiction. You also understand the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to smartphones. Therefore, as soon as you realise that your child is starting to get addicted to video games on a smartphone, you need to do something about it.
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Look at the nature of the game
Outright banning your child from playing with their phones is not necessarily a good idea. Your child might resent you for such a decision. Instead of that drastic rule change, you can evaluate first what your child is playing. Perhaps, you can monitor the games and let your child focus on educational games instead of the ones promoting violence and war. You can limit the number of hours spent playing games too.
Offer alternatives
Children need to play since it is in their nature to do so. Stopping them from playing is not a good idea. You are depriving them of their childhood. If you want to take their smartphones away, you can offer alternatives. If you grew up with board games and other educational games, you can introduce those games to them. They might love playing with those games too. Set a game night involving everyone in the family at least once a week. Provide them with the opportunity to enjoy further the games you introduced. You can find the best educational games at an online toy shop.
Talk about the adverse effects of smartphones
If your child is already mature enough to understand your explanation, you need to be open about why you are taking away the phone or limiting the number of hours. Talk about how the radiation from the phone could have an impact on their health. You can also tell them about their mental development and how these smartphones could lead to developmental delays. Of course, you need to explain it in a way that they will understand. Besides, it is also among the easier conversations you might have to face as a parent. When your child grows up, you will have tougher problems to deal with.
Never get angry
Some children become even more challenging to handle when asked to stop what they are doing. You might notice that when they have toys at home, they do not play with those toys. If you tell them you are going to throw those toys away, they will have tantrums. Children usually react that way when you threaten to take valuable objects away from them. You are also making them resent you by being angry.
It takes time for your children to understand why you are imposing these changes. However, with constant explanations and reminders, they will reduce the time they spend using their phones until they are mature enough to manage their time without your constant reminders.