A question that earlier vexed parents of high school students is now haunting parents of children who are barely three — how much screen time should I allow my child?
The dependence on the electronic screen cannot be wished away and many parents are worried about how much is too much.
Questions on the use of screens are now regular during interactions between parents and teachers at the pre-primary and primary levels.
While earlier it was easy for teachers to say “no mobile phone”, after the last two years they can no longer say so.
Schools have not completely done away with online platforms, which are still used at times to assign work to students or to explain concepts.
Heads of schools said they did not expect small children to not be exposed to mobiles because phones have entered the space of kids “alongside books and physical activities”.
“A parent asked us during the admission interaction how much screen time they should allow their child who is barely three. Young parents are getting increasingly worried about the use of technology because after two years of the pandemic, they have become more dependent on technology,” said Meena Kak, director, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy.
Schools understand that it is not possible to bring up a child without exposing them to technology. “Children are bound to use mobiles and even schools use it for holistic teaching learning,” said Nupur Ghosh, vice-principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
“For little children, the internet has made virtual tour possible. We can take the children to the zoo in the city and then virtually take them to Africa to explain that animals need not always be in cages. Why would I deprive my children of that opportunity?” she said.
Young parents feel that if they keep their children away from the screen, they will lag behind their peers. “You will not want your child not to know how to navigate the screen when others her age can,” said the mother of a five-year-old.
But the risk of the exposure to technology cannot be overlooked, said teachers.
“While parents are off at work, children use the grandparents’ phone, which is often not password-protected,” said Aruna Gomes, principal, Loreto House.
Teachers said parents should never leave a child “unmonitored” with a device.
“We have been telling our parents they should not use the device as passive babysitters. If they sit with the child, they can control the content that the child is watching,” said Suman Sood, director BD Memorial, and national core committee member, Early Childhood Association, a forum of pre-schools.
