YouTube has been a life saver for many parents today and you do not have to feel ashamed if you are one of them. You might have been very happy to have had something that caught your kid’s attention and made them have fun and let you do what you needed to do at that time. But as time went by, you just discovered that your kid only wants YouTube and nothing else, in fact, he or she cries for it, begs for it and just has all their attention on the screen. Perhaps that was when you knew that something was wrong but you might not be sure whether your kids addicted or not. And you probably do not have a clue what to do about it too. Well, this article will settle your worries and answer the questions you have been asking yourself.
Signs that tell you that your kid is addicted to YouTube
Spending too much time in front of a screen has been linked to a lack of sleep, speech delays, and even poor social skills. But based on a research conducted out of the University of Michigan, the bigger issue is ‘whether screen use causes problems in other areas of life or has become an all-consuming activity’. If your answer to this question is yes, then it is considered screen addiction.
1. Your child can’t control their screen use
When your kid begins to find it difficult to let go of the screen, it is a clear sign of screen addiction. If you have tried to impose limits on the screen time but your kid just could not follow through, then this could be an issue.
2. Loss of interest in other activities
Take note if your kid only focuses on the screen and nothing else. If playing YouTube is the only thing that motivates your child. You will have to take this seriously if books, toys, and sports do not get them as excited as YouTube. This will mean that they are investing too much time on their screen.
3. Preoccupies your kid’s thoughts
When your kid is always talking about YouTube videos even when he or she isn’t with the screen and always wondering what his favorite YouTuber will post next. Or even acting out scenes from angry birds, these could be a sign that your kid’s addicted. This means that they will not be able to concentrate on other activities like school work, or books or extra-curricular activities.
4. It interferes with socialization
When your child prefers spending time with his tablet than with family and friends, then it is a sign of screen addiction. You might notice that your kid brings his or her phone to the dining table or sneaks peaks at his tablet while his grandmother tries to make conversation or prefers staying indoors than going out to play with friends. This should grab your attention.
5. Screen use cause serious family problems
If you and your kid have had serious arguments based on screen use, it is a sign that is a problem. Or perhaps behaviors related to something they are watching and at times filing to do chores because of YouTube videos. This can cause issues between a parent and a kid especially when it keeps recurring.
6. Your kid shows signs of withdrawal
Your kid may get frustrated when it’s time to turn off the TV for bedtime or put mobile devices away for screen free family time. This anger and frustration they express is a sign of withdrawals.
7. Their tolerance is increasing
The level of YouTube screen time has increased. For instance, your kid used to watch YouTube for just 30 minutes but now watches it for after school each day and even on the phone at almost all times. This means their tolerances have increased.
8. They are deceptive about it.
When kids are addicted, they can’t help it and will always want to watch their YouTube videos any chance they get. Sometimes they might sneak a tablet into bed at night or lie about how long they spend online. This is a sign that something is wrong.
9. A screen is their mood booster
When your child uses the screen as a means of mood booster after a bad day at school, he might be addicted according to researchers.
Once your notice your kid exhibiting some of the signs of screen addiction you can help your kids get over it by following the steps below. These steps would require your full participation and support because kids need a whole lot of love to be able to control themselves.
The first step to take is to remove the search bar in parental control especially if your kid is still little. Another thing was to delete the YouTube app from their iPad for a little while at least. This should be done when you know that your kid is really addicted and cannot control his addiction. If your kids really little, then charge the Pad less and less. With a dead iPad, little kids can use the iPad for long and will surely have to find other means of entertaining themselves.
Note that it takes about 21-66 days to form and break a habit. You will need to apply a lot of patience and work with your kid.
Here are a few things you can do:
1. Set the timer in the YouTube kid’s app
Make sure to set clear rules on how much time is allowed to be spent playing on the iPad weekly. Your kid needs to know that you are aware of his addiction but not in a defamatory manner but like making him or her aware that they spend too much time on their iPads and are missing out on a lot of other things.
2. Delete unnecessary apps
Keeping unnecessary apps on your tablet allows your kid to waste so much time playing with them or viewing the contents. I will advise you to keep the educational apps.
3. Do not charge the iPad
This trick actually helps a lot. For younger kids, you can make up a good excuse as to why the charger isn’t working and your child will understand. For older kids, this might require you to be a little tricky. You can break the charger and tell them they will have to wait for a while. This might cause you a few cash but the sacrifice is worth it.
4. Delete the YouTube app from the iPad
For younger children, this step is effective because due to their age they would not know how to get it back. They will just have to deal with not being able to access the app and so no YouTube for a while.
5. Hide the iPad
You could hide the iPad and use it as an excuse to do something else with your kid.
6. Buy your kid a special toy to replace the tablet
Choose a toy that is long lasting and will be used for years to come and one which can hold your kid’s attention for a long period of time.
7. Go outside more
Kids bodies crave activity. Let them go outside and play soccer. Let them ride their scooter or use their tricycle. I guarantee you that your child will love this more than their tablet time. Spend time with your kid, ones that she would normally use on her tablet. You could also create activities in advance that you both could do together. Or set up your kid’s play area where they could have independent fun time alone.
In conclusion, screen addiction can bear serious repercussion on your kid which will be very damaging to their mental and psychological growth. It could make them lazy or ail in school and so on. However, you can do something about it and this is why it is important that you try to follow the steps above and get your kid back to him or herself.
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