A habit that parents should give up in 2019

You arrive at the park with your children and encourage them to play. You sit down and take out your phone. Your children come to ask you to play hunting. You say "in a minute" by scrolling through your social media feed.

We all did it. It can be difficult not to. But these moments, when devices interrupt interactions, upset children and family dynamics.

If you want to improve your family life this year, why not commit to disconnecting from devices and connecting with each other more often?

In fact, technology is always present in our lives. Ninety-eight percent of families live in a home with at least one device connected to the Internet. Parents use these devices an average of 3.5 hours a day and their children an average of 2.5 hours a day.

For children, this goes beyond the recommendation of the Canadian Pediatric Society to not schedule more than one hour of high quality programming for children between the ages of two and five.

Families who eat together do better

Families also text, check social media and surf the Internet while they relax with their family. Research suggests that nearly 47% of families report using a mobile phone at the dinner table.

Having regular family meals and connecting to each other at the dinner table is important for the development of the child. Essentially, families who eat together do better! But family dinners have been besieged by technology.

As a result, a #devicefreedinner educational campaign, featuring comedian Will Ferrell, was designed to help families avoid "technofence" at the table and find a healthy balance with the media.

"Technofence", or intrusions and interruptions of digital devices during social interactions, has important implications for parenthood today. It is almost impossible to simultaneously send SMS while responding and responding in a consistent and sensitive manner to your child's needs.

Mobile devices can create sad children and hostile parents

Research shows that parents who are distracted by their mobile devices not only interact less with their children, but are also more hostile toward their children.

Children competing with digital devices to attract their parents' attention have been shown to be exposed to behavioral problems such as sadness and withdrawal, hyperactivity and temper tantrums.

Technofence does not go unnoticed in children. More than 50% of children reported that their parents checked their phone too much and 36% said their parents were distracted by their phone during conversations.

So, are you ready to commit to reducing screen time and increasing family connection time? If so, there are several ways to achieve this resolution:

1. Establish a family plan

Device plans can help your family choose how and how often to use the media, and when and where it will be used. As a family, you can offer solutions or alternatives when someone wants to take out their device (for example, take out your favorite game or go play football instead).

2 Be a "media mentor"

Children discover the media around them, including parents. Parents should adopt healthy device habits, including using devices in moderation and not letting them interfere with family time, sleep, or physical activity.

3. Have a device basket

When the family meets at the end of work and school day, drop your devices in the basket provided for this purpose. If possible, also set them to "Do not disturb".

4. Take control of your phone

Your phone is designed to capture your attention. That's why the icons are colored and notification alerts in red! The Center for Human Technology offers many options to avoid falling into the trap of being driven by your device. These include disabling e-mail and social media notifications, scaling your phone, and keeping your home screen only for essential apps.

5. Resist the desire to document

Capturing special moments is important, but they should not replace the moments themselves. Try to be present and give priority to sharing moments with your child rather than followers of your social networks.

6. Monitor the habits of your device

Just like a Fitbit counts our steps, a device tracks our use. Turn on the screen time feature on your phone and monitor your usage. Resolutions can be more successful when they are consistently followed. Be sure to reduce your device usage by 10 to 25 percent and monitor your progress.

7. Understand your media habits

Understanding the science behind technology can create such an addiction. For some parents, the use of devices can help to escape the harsh behaviors of their child or relieve stress. Unfortunately, using devices as a temporary means of relieving stress can cause children to do more to regain their parents' attention. Whenever possible, try to find other ways to reduce stress, such as exercise, deep breathing, or exits to the park.

Technology and devices can be used thoughtfully and appropriately. Like everything else, they should be used sparingly and should not replace important activities such as family time, sleep, outdoor games, exercise, and interactions and communications in the face. to face.