It was a terrible habit picked up in lockdown. In order to try and balance working indoors and having children at home I allowed my boys to use gadgets and watch more things online than they would in normal times.
What started off as using Google Classroom quickly turned into browsing YouTube and watching hours of cartoons.
So I wasn’t surprised to read a report from Ofcom that found that children are consuming far more content online than they are traditional television.
According to the TV regulator, last year kids spent 11 hours and 19 minutes each week watching videos and shows online.
What’s more alarming is that 40% of parents of five to 15 year olds, the age of my sons, reported that they struggled to control their screen time.
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That’s something I can definitely relate to. Trying to wrestle gadgets away is a nightmare.
I used to make the mistake of letting my son play a few games on the laptop in the morning before school.
Cue complete meltdown that continued at the school gates because I said it was time to come off it.
No one warns you. By the time you’ve let your little one have a play and they know more about using your tablet than you do, it’s too late.
They should come with a warning, or at least tips on how to help wean kids off them. I certainly would appreciate the lessons.
What’s even more worrying is the lack of alternatives for children. Now things are opening up, what is there for them to do?
Youth clubs have closed down across the country. Any sort of sport, music or arts activity seem prohibitively expensive. The children who need those outlets the most can afford it the least.
Whatever happened to hobbies? It feels as if we have to make doing things outside as exciting for kids as it is for them to be glued to a screen.
I shudder to think what will happen if we don’t.
