People today cannot survive without the internet, smartphones and other gadgets. They cannot imagine what the world would be like without technology. But if you didn’t have a choice but to be offline like the people in Egypt didn’t have access to the internet for a whole five months you would be just okay after a while.

The reliance on technology is affecting children too. You’ll find that children are unable to complete small tasks or go about their day without whining about wanting their tablets or smartphones.

Parents have become guilty of the amount of time they allow their children to spend on the internet and as a result, their children are becoming tech addicts.

Here are some tips from Melbourne Child Psychology that a parent can implement to save their children from becoming tech addicts:

Do not take the internet away completely 

Kids love playing video games, spending time on Tik Tok and Youtube. It will not make sense from allowing them to access these platforms any time they wanted to, to suddenly taking it away.  This transition will seem much more difficult and more like a punishment to them rather than working towards their best interests. Instead, start working on slowly reducing their screen time, rather than eliminating it.

Set some boundaries 

Before, the kids did all they wanted on the internet, whenever they wanted to without any restrictions. Now is the time to set these boundaries like setting a daily screen-time limit and ‘no screen-time zones’ (like during family time or before bed). There are apps these days that can set timers on your childs phone like, Breakfree, FamiSafe and Unglue.

Set some priorities

You can introduce a hierarchy of priorities. This will give them a guideline of what must be done before they can have screen time, such as homework, cleaning, preparing for school, and family time.

Take control

You are the parent, so you make the rules. You can start by changing the content they consume. You can replace entertainment and things that don’t add value to apps or programs with some educational grounding.

Introduce activities

Instead of just leaving them on their gadgets in their free time you can introduce activities like painting, drawing, reading and outdoor activities. Be present and spend more time with them.