Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone: I don’t really remember how old was I when I first saw a mobile phone, but I was approximately 8 years old and the year was 2007 or something like that. It was a keypad phone by Nokia and I was fascinated to see the things people did with it. There were games and other tools like calculator and convertor, etc.
As the years passed, mobile phones were constantly upgraded. Apple and android devices took over the market. Little did we know that it will become a new addiction for the teens. Nowadays, I see a lot of kids using mobile phones; they watch cartoons, play games and that too for long periods. Even some parents have given their 8-year-old kids their own mobile devices, everyone having their own reasons.
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Today, we are going to talk about Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone or when should you give your child his/her own mobile device? How you can control the usage time? and what are the harmful effects of using a mobile device for a long period?
Is there any Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone?
I don’t think the age decides whether he/she should have his/her own mobile device. It is all about the understanding and responsibility. When the kids understand what are the positive things which can be done using the mobile devices. Using it more for studies and less for social media, texting and playing games. Understanding the importance of mental health and physical health and giving time to family.
Also, not everyone is good at studies, apart from studies they may be good at sports or other things. To ensure these things, you may ask your child about the positive things he can do with mobile. Analyse his/her answers and you will know the right time. Also, keep in mind the negative things that concern you. All kids are not the same. Some become responsible and understand things much better than other kids of their age.
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Control their usage of Smartphone: When and How?
If your kid is given most of the time on mobile devices or anything, be it tablet, laptop or computer rather than studying, playing outdoor games and spending time with family. Here are some things you can do without getting him irritated. Change your own habits, basically kids do what they often see. If you want them to drink milk, eat green vegetables and salads, you should do the same. Doing this will not only help your kid but also your own mental and physical health.
Also, talk to them about family values and importance of physical and mental health. Scolding them and snatching the phone away is not going to help, it is only going to make your kid irritated and, in some cases, depressed. They will use it in hidden without you knowing and make it a habit, which will be worse. Other thing you can do is you may control the router which in turn controls the other devices.
Ask your child about the usage of the devices in school or how their friends use it. Also ask the things he likes to do, like what kind of game he plays and what kind of videos he/she watches, which can tell you a lot about what is going in his mind. According to all the things he does, you may take action.
The harmful effects of using mobile devices for long periods
As mentioned earlier, mobile devices have become addiction not only for kids and teens, but also for adults. There are endless videos and content, and the providers know how to bring your attention towards it. Without even realising, you will get trapped in the unending loop. Using these devices for long can cause various physical and mental health problems.
Loss of eyesight, irritation, digital eye strain, depression, anxiety, laziness etc. are some of the problems. You may have heard about the kid who spent 16 lakhs on a game without the permission of his parents and had to work on a garage as a punishment, and many cases like this, so you can also include bankruptcy in the list of problems. Along with this your kid may be exposed to the vulgarity on the internet which they were totally unaware of.
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Apart from harms the mobile devices can be used for studies and better purposes. You can do creative things by watching YouTube videos and learn many things. Some people give their kids’ phones so they can stay in touch wherever they go. It can be school, colleges or whatever.
But there are other devices that can help you stay in touch with your kids, like gizmo watch, which helps you send and receive limited messages and also keeps tracks of your child’s whereabouts. So mobile devices are not the only option. As I said earlier, kids do what they see, so in order to maintain your kids’ discipline, you should also get disciplined.
