Children and gadgets. My three-year-old daughter will not part with her gadgets and throws tantrums when she tries to pick up her tablet. Modern children's fascination with gadgets causes concern among parents, psychologists and ophthalmologists.

The problem of a child being too enthusiastic about a tablet has not escaped me either. Modern children and gadgets are on the same wavelength almost from birth, and this should be used wisely for the development of the child. In the first days after the purchase, I myself uploaded several applications for the development of fine motor skills. The first day I was very pleased, seeing only the pros in this, I understood the cons of gadgets for children literally after a couple of days.

Gadgets and small children: what are the advantages?

• Various educational applications
• Reaction speed
• Perseverance
• Logics
• You can teach something that you yourself are not fluent in (English for kids)
• Parents have free time

To give you an idea of ​​the picture, I will describe some of the downloaded applications. The purpose of the purchase was for my daughter to develop fine motor skills not only by modeling from plasticine. I really liked it
"Puzzles" presentation. It was sorted: animals, numbers, cars, people's faces.

The point is that some image appears on the screen in the center, and on four sides there are various recesses-silhouettes and you need to not only guess, but also send this image to the right place by moving your finger.

The first day there were even “crazy people” if something didn’t work out, and I helped, of course, admiring the picture with emotion. The second app worthy of attention is called “Smart Baby,” although by the age of 3 almost everything is already familiar there. I really liked the version of the “drawing for kids” application where the contours of the animals that the child has chosen for drawing are gradually highlighted. The program does not allow you to go beyond the fields. At the end, a drawn animal makes sounds and jumps.

Coming home from work at almost half past seven, there was always plenty of household chores: dinner, washing the floor, ironing things for kindergarten in the morning, bathing my treasure. And this time, my daughter didn’t bother me. In the first two days I was extremely pleased. On the third day, obvious disadvantages appeared.

Gadgets and small children: what are the disadvantages

As soon as I left the field of view, my baby was literally glued to the tablet with her nose, and even while lying down. The game has begun: “move the tablet away.” A clear dependence appeared already on day 4. When I went to bed, my stretched-out little one now wanted to sleep not with a teddy bear, but only with a tablet. Any sane mother understands that it is harmful for children to sleep even near televisions; there should be no mobile phones within a radius of at least 3 meters, but here they sleep cuddled with a tablet. The first hysteria took its toll. As soon as my daughter fell asleep, I pulled out a new toy and hid it away.

It was Friday. Saturday morning started for me at 5 am with tears through sleep...tablet. All attempts to say that he was sleeping, it was too early, to give him another toy in return and to somehow distract him, did not yield results. I gave up and turned on cartoons. She can watch Fixies endlessly. Having turned the volume to minimum and placing the tablet on the back of the sofa, I hoped that this way she would fall asleep instantly. Naive mother. At first, my daughter sat down, and then she even took him in her arms and lay down with him to watch cartoons at a distance of 10 cm. To my shame, I simply fell asleep next to him. I woke up at 6.20 and saw that my little one was not sleeping, but was calmly lying next to him, continuing to watch cartoons.

It didn’t work out to pick up the subject of my new hobby. Tears again. In general, after a couple of hours I had a discharged tablet and a crying child. Another week flew by quickly. My daughter has already developed the habit of watching videos about children and cartoons, about a monkey with kids for hours. I came home from work and found her already using her tablet. Sitting down next to me, I asked her about how the day went in kindergarten, and my daughter even looked away for a short time when she saw me. Of course, all of the following does not happen to all children, but these are my personal conclusions.

Disadvantages of gadgets I noticed:

• Addiction sets in quickly
• It is difficult to explain to a small child that it is harmful
• Vision decreases rapidly
• Letting players play strictly according to the clock doesn’t work.
• The baby loses the desire to engage in other activities: reading, sculpting
• A child left unattended while watching cartoons may accidentally end up on an “adult” channel.
• Live communication with mom is replaced by watching cartoons, so the connection is lost
• Irradiation for hours doesn't do any good either.

How to wean a small child from a gadget

So 3 weeks flew by, and another Friday arrived. For some, half past 9 is early in the morning, but I had time to “brainstorm” on the topic: “How to wean a child off a tablet.” Due to the fact that children quickly get used to gadgets, they wean them just as quickly. I managed this literally in 2 weekends. After reading a sea of ​​literature, I was determined, and this is probably the main secret of success. On Friday morning, I hid it safely and, calling home from work, warned that no one would take it out of kindergarten when the child arrived.

I must pay tribute to my family members that on this issue our views coincided 100%. Having picked up my daughter from kindergarten, they didn’t take her straight home, but went for a ride on the swing.

In the evening they went to meet me and go to the grocery store with the obligatory trolley ride. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the house, requests began to let me watch videos about children (I bookmarked a couple of funny videos and a whole series of educational ones).

Options for answers that I couldn’t find, where the tablet caused tears, I began to get angry at her for these tears, and at myself for my weak character. Then putting it aside absolutely everything is done, I took my daughter in my arms and began to explain that I missed her very much and wanted to play with her. She refused to draw, read books, sculpt, or do anything at all, constantly whining and even throwing a tantrum on the floor. I felt very sorry for her, I wanted to give in to the temptation to give the child the desired reassurance in the form of a gadget, but the mood to end this addiction took over.

In the middle of the night, my treasure woke up twice in tears demanding a tablet and cartoons. 4.30 am and tears again. Angry at her, I again calmly take her in my arms and go to the next room - pace back and forth, calming and lulling her, saying that the tablet was given to my older sister Nastyushka to play for a while (now she lives separately) and she will soon get it will return. During the day we washed the floor, vacuumed, and read together. Then I asked my eldest daughter to take the princess to her place for a couple of hours. Because the plans were for a grandiose capping of eggplants for the winter.

Before going to bed, I gave her a tablet that had 6% charge left, explaining that he would soon go to bed too, and noticing that my little one was rubbing his eyes as hard as he could, I said that it was the tablet that made his eyes very tired and began to pinch and hurt. You need to spare your eyes and go to bed. First victory! The princess calmly handed over the gadget to charge it. In the morning, I didn’t even give her a chance to remember him, putting her out of sight, and early in the morning I took the dolls and bears and went to read fairy tales with them. In the afternoon I let her play again for literally an hour. Imagine my surprise when Anechka gave it to me herself with the words: “He has become hot, let him sleep.” When she woke up, she wanted to watch the video again. But my persistence prevailed, and whining a little, we went outside. In the evening she fell asleep without the tablet, and on Sunday morning she didn’t even remember about it.

Rules for using gadgets in families with small children:

• A child receives a tablet only in exceptional cases (her vision is dear to me)
• only on weekends (on other days there is a kindergarten and a nanny who take care of the child)
• No longer than an hour

Gradually she stopped being capricious, accepting the “rules”. I hope that my experience on how to wean a small child from a gadget will be useful to many mothers. I specifically contacted the same mothers on social networks and became convinced that many families have a problem called “Children and gadgets.” And finally, do not start the process until you have 100% confidence that this is necessary and unshakable determination. Be prepared that it just won't happen, but the victory will be worth it. There is nothing more valuable than the health of our children.

Ekaterina Morozova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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The problem of computer addiction among our children today is breaking all records. Whether teenagers or toddlers, children are instantly immersed in virtual reality, displacing ordinary life. Considering the harm that “virtual” causes to the health and, especially, the psyche of a child, the time of using a PC should be strictly limited by parents. The information that the child receives from the monitor screen is also subject to control. How to deal with such addiction in children?

How to distract a preschooler from the computer - 5 parenting tricks.

For a preschooler, the time allowed to play on the computer is limited 15 minutes (no break). “Monitor time” (like TV) – only o in strictly dosed “portions”. With the replacement of the real world by a virtual one, a replacement of values ​​also occurs: the need for live communication, for enjoying life in a natural way, dies away. Lost ability ruminate, health deteriorates, character deteriorates.
What to do and how to distract your preschooler from the monitor?

• Remove computer and take it out only at a time strictly determined by mom. Place restrictions on access to “adult” sites, and monitor games for their benefits for the child.
• Communicate with your child. No computer can replace communication with mom and dad. Despite work, busyness, problems and undercooked borscht - be there for your child. Of course, it’s great when you can relax and take care of yourself by handing your child a laptop - “here, just don’t disturb”, but over time the child will simply no longer need his parents, because the virtual world will draw him in with all its depth and “brightness” of impressions.
• Play together with your child. Of course, at a strictly allotted time, but together. Find a game in advance that will be useful for your child’s development, and spend your time usefully.
• Hide your computer for a couple of days and spend this time with picnics in nature, searching for pre-hidden “treasure”, interesting entertainment in the city and evenings at home with Lego, watching good films, making paper kites, etc. Show your child that the world without a computer is much more interesting.
• Take your child to a circle. Choose a circle that your child will run to every day, forgetting not only about the PC, but also about you. Daily communication with peers and teachers, new knowledge and positive emotions will gradually displace the computer from the child’s life.

Don't say to the kid - “this game is bad, close the laptop!” Speak - “bunny, let me show you a more interesting game.” Or “baby, shouldn’t we make a hare for daddy’s arrival?” Be more cunning. A ban will always cause protest. There is no need to drag your child away from the computer by the ears - just replace the computer with yourself.

How to get a primary school child away from the computer - we show miracles of ingenuity and initiative

For “treating” the addiction of a younger student, the advice will remain the same. However, given older age , you can supplement them a little with a few recommendations:

• Start some daily traditions. For example, during meals - no TV or computer phones at the table. Be sure to prepare a family dinner together - with serving, interesting dishes and creating a pleasant atmosphere. Let the child take part in this. It’s enough to captivate him, and then consider that for 2-3 evening hours you have won your child away from the Internet. After dinner - a walk. You can collect leaves for a herbarium, sculpt snowmen, play football, rollerblade, ride bicycles or draw landscapes from life. The main thing is to evoke positive emotions in the child. Positive “adrenaline” is like a drug.
• Show your child “on your fingers” how much time he is wasting. Write it down on paper, draw a diagram - “this is how long you have been sitting at your laptop this year, but you could already learn to play the guitar (become a champion in some sport, grow a garden, etc.). Confirm your readiness to help your child with this through your actions - enroll him in a sports section, buy a guitar, give him a camera and learn the art of photography together, dig up a wood burner on the mezzanine, etc.
• Take your child out of town as often as possible. Look for interesting and safe ways to relax - catamarans, mountain paths, horseback riding, travel, cycling from city to city with overnight stays in tents, etc. Show your child the “offline” reality - exciting, interesting, with a lot of impressions and memories.
• Every child has a dream. “Mom, I want to be an artist!” “Go ahead,” the mother answered and bought markers for her son. But you can give your child a real chance to try his hand at this. Enroll your child in an art school or hire a teacher, invest in paints, brushes and easels, and ensure regular classes. Yes, you will spend a lot of time, but the child will sit over the canvas together with the computer, and there is no need to talk about the benefits of this event. If after a year the child gets tired of these arts, look for a new dream and go back to battle!
• Radical method: turn off the Internet in the house. Keep the modem, but turn it on only when the child is busy with his own business. And the Internet is prohibited. Instead - everything listed above.

And remember that personal example always and in everythingmore effective than educational conversation, screaming and radical methods. No matter how much you would like to “sit on VK”, “like” your girlfriend’s new photos or download a brand new melodrama, leave your computer “sessions” for late in the evening, when the child is already asleep. By example prove that life is beautiful without online.

How to wean a teenager off the computer - important tips for parents to prevent computer addiction in children

The most difficult thing to deal with computer addiction in a teenage child is:

• Firstly, You can’t turn off the Internet and you can’t hide your laptop.
• Secondly, Studying today also involves tasks on a PC. .
• Thirdly, It is impossible to distract a teenage child with construction toys and playing snowballs. What should I do?

• Don't ban the Internet Don’t hide the computer on the closet - let the child be an adult. But control the process. Block all unreliable sites, install filters for viruses and for access to those resources where a teenager has nothing to do due to his still unstable psyche and susceptibility to outside influence. Make sure that the time on the PC is used usefully - learning new programs, mastering Photoshop, drawing, creating music, etc. Send your child to courses so that at home he wants to practice skills, and not spend hours on social networks.
• Sports, sections, etc. The pleasure that a child gets from sports, dancing and other active activities cannot be compared with the joy from another “like” or “game” in a shooting game. Do you like to shoot on the Internet? Take him to the appropriate section - let him shoot at a shooting range or paintball. Wants to go boxing? Give him to boxing. Does your daughter dream of dancing? Buy her a suit and send her wherever she wants. Is your child embarrassed to communicate in real life? In virtual reality, is he a brave superhero? Take him to training, where they will help him develop a confident, strong person.
• Become your child's friend. At this age, an orderly tone and a belt are not helpers. Now the child needs a friend. Listen to your child and participate in his life. Be interested in his desires and problems - it is in them that you will find all the answers to the question “how to distract...”.
• Give your child gym or fitness memberships , concert tickets or trips to youth holiday camps. Constantly look for ways to keep your teenager busy with a real, interesting activity that will be both useful and emotionally fulfilling. Based on what your child lacks and why exactly he runs to the Internet. It's possible that he's just bored. This is the easiest option (it won’t be difficult to find an alternative). It is much more difficult if avoiding boredom in the “virtual” has developed into a serious addiction. Here you will have to work hard, because the moment has already been lost.
• Self-realization. Now is the time to deeply and completely immerse yourself in that area of ​​interest that is probably already stuck in the child’s head. It’s just a little while until adulthood. If a child has already found himself, but does not have the opportunity to develop in the chosen direction, give him this opportunity. Support morally and financially.

How do you deal with computer addiction in a child? Share your experience with us!

But gadgets create addiction, and sooner or later every parent will have to fight with them. What is the danger? Is it terrible when a child sits and pokes buttons for hours? After all, he's having fun, anyway. Develops fine motor skills, reaction speed, and attention. Receives a lot of positive emotions, while parents can go about their business. However, the danger of gadgets is great when the passion for them goes beyond the bounds of reason.

Child psychologists advise that children under three years of age should not be allowed access to electronic devices (including television) at all. And at an older age, it is necessary to strictly control the time that children spend on gadgets. Ideally, it should not exceed an hour a day. Gadgets take a child into a world where everything is easy and simple, where the most difficult problem can be solved with the press of a button, and where it is so difficult to escape. This harms not only your posture and vision. In the end, this also affects their character: without receiving their favorite gadget, children eat poorly, quarrel with their parents, and can even go on a rampage, damaging things, or, conversely, become depressed.

Sometimes solving a neglected problem requires the help of a psychiatrist. But if you missed your child “just a little bit,” what can you do to snatch him out of the virtual world?

Rule No. 1 Personal example. If you cannot imagine your life without virtual reality, you constantly sit at your laptop, and never part with your iPad or mobile phone, then you can be sure that your child will become an ardent fan of gadgets. If you are unable to cope with your craving for social networks, forums and games, sit at the computer not in front of your child. For example, devote evening time to your hobby when the baby is already asleep. After all, a child, especially a small one, first of all copies the behavior of the people closest to him - his parents. If you set the right personal example, then you don’t need other advice. Try having a gadget-free family day once a week. There is only one condition: no one plays on tablets, mobile phones, iPads, uses the Internet, or watches TV.

Rule #2 Create a feeling of success. It is clear that the child is an ace in games and is great at shooting enemies. It turns out that in virtual reality he is more successful than in real reality. Play good old board games with your child - and maybe it makes sense to give in to him once or twice. The main thing is to praise the child, telling him how smart he is.

Rule #3 Show an alternative. Try not to leave your child too much free time. Of course, rest is necessary, but within reason. Make sure your son or daughter has other interests besides gadgets. Send your child to a sports section or choose a club.

Rule #4 Don't criticize computers and games. If a child is used to them, he may begin to see you as a person who encroaches on the sacred. Moreover, if other children are playing, then why do parents say that it is bad? Discuss Internet safety with your child. Install a program for monitoring play time on your gadget, as well as protection from visiting “non-children’s” sites.

Rule No. 5: Get proper rest. Make sure your baby doesn't miss gadgets so that they don't catch his eye. Spend more time with him outside, organize a trip out of town, keep him busy so that it occurs to him as little as possible to ask: “Mom, give me a tablet.” Go to the event with a whole group, with several children. But be sure to agree with other adults: no gadgets on vacation!

Whether mothers want it or not, your child will grow up in the information world, surrounded by “advanced” peers. And they will become a part of his life. And here, on the part of parents, it is important to have time to take measures so that the need to use digital technologies does not develop into addiction.

British and Polish scientists call for monitoring the time a child spends communicating with new technologies, since they negatively affect the development of social and physical skills in children, starting from a very young age. , if addiction has arisen, read on.

Moms should take this into account as treatment-requiring compulsive behavior caused by children's use of electronic devices and the Internet from birth is becoming more common.
In addition, cases of developing dependence on gadgets often began to appear.

When it comes to smartphone and social media abuse, there is a whole range of reasons.

Reasons for smartphone addiction in children

• The desire to be constantly available. Fear of being cut off from the information flow.
• The desire to be needed, significant, noticeable. All social networks, in fact, are built on the banal desire to assert oneself. And the smartphone fuels this feeling. It is important for a child not only to show off his achievements on Instagram, be it buying a new dress or cooking a new dish, but also to be curious about what others have and who boast about what.
• Craving for the new, unfamiliar.

The habit of immersing yourself in a bright kaleidoscope of pictures on the Internet and passively absorbing information on news feeds arises very quickly, but getting rid of it is much more difficult. And here it is important to detect the first ones in time in order to take measures before the child develops social phobia, or hostility to the surrounding reality. And the superficial presentation of information takes away the ability for deep creative thinking.

How to overcome children's addiction to smartphones and social networks

1. Make sure there is more live communication in your child’s life. For this purpose, you can offer to go to an exhibition together, take a walk, or invite your child’s friends for a tea party.
2. The child should not spend more than two hours a day.
3. Do not allow your child to sit with a smartphone in their hands at family events or during meals.
4. Plan your child’s schedule so that there is as little time as possible for the Internet. Send him to a sports section, a music school, or language courses. The more your chick becomes interested in something, the less he will want to waste time with the phone in his hand.
5. Try to unobtrusively find out the reason why the virtual world is more interesting to him than the real one; perhaps the child has problems communicating with peers, or he lacks new emotions. In this case, you should devote more time to your family, plan a joint vacation and make small holidays for yourself, the main thing is as much live communication as possible.
6. When going on vacation, don't look for accommodation with Wi-Fi. Better grab a couple for your baby.
7. Ask your child to call you back instead of texting.
8. Show genuine interest in your child's hobbies. Often, social networks give a child the opportunity to feel that he has many like-minded people and therefore he hides there from others who may not be so favorable towards his hobby.
9. Try to find out what your child is interested in so that you can speak the same language with him.
10. Parents should also acquire their own hobby, and it should be something other than relaxing in front of the TV, which, in principle, can also be equated to an escape from reality. You should show by your own example how you can spend time productively without using modern gadgets.
11. Parents should use the phone only for its intended purpose: no games in front of the child and no endless correspondence about work.
12. Do not give your baby a gadget before bed, because this can cause problems with concentration, lead to insomnia, and, as a result, chronic fatigue, irritability, etc.
13. Have a holiday together without phones. Once a week, when you go on an outing with your family, leave all your phones at home.

Moms need to take into account that total bans on games and digital content are useless and unproductive, so you should not choose a similar method to overcome children’s addiction to gadgets.

It is worth noting that this is a kind of criterion for the effectiveness of all parental efforts and if the child has enough attention and support from his parents, he will not have the need to use the phone to combat loneliness.