Digital Parenting Week: How Remote Workers Teach the Pros and Cons of the Digital World to Their Children?
A study published in the New York Times revealed that 64% of kids (aged 10–12 ) watch online videos daily. But what is more alarming is that this percentage is increasing rapidly, with kids from age 8–12 now spending, on average, five hours and 33 minutes of screen time. The study also reported that kids aged 13–18 spent, on average, eight hours and 39 minutes.
Studies such as this question one thing: what are parents doing? Even though digital media plays an important role in education, this excessive use is quite concerning as this puts children at risk. These risks include low attention span, minimum social interactions, health problems, increased aggression, cyberbullying, etc.
To address these concerns, a full week is dedicated to assisting/guiding parents about the use of digital media in their children’s lives. This year Digital Parenting Week is taking place from October 24th to 28th.
Let’ see how remote workers can do better parenting in the age of digital technology.
How can remote workers teach the pros and cons of the digital world to their children?
More parents are choosing to work from home after spending increased time with their children due to the COVID-19 pandemic.. Parents understand that remote work helped them strike a fine balance between professional and personal commitments. Also, spending more time with their children has helped them learn more about their child’s routine.
Here are some ways a remotely working parent can help their kids understand the good and the bad of using digital media.
1. Have more one-on-one conversations with your kids
As a remote parent, your child’s day-to-day activity would be more visible to you. If you think your kids are spending more time on their gadgets, it is time to have a one-on-one discussion.
Make your conversations interactive, and let your child speak for him/her. This will encourage your child to speak freely and help you learn about what you can do to reduce their screen time.
2 . Spend more time doing physical and creative activities.
Too much screen time can hinder your child’s thinking. Don’t tell but show this to your child. Take them out to the gym or park and have them experience the positive impact of engaging in physical activity after too much screen time.
If your child is young, engage them in a sport they like or creative activities, such as drawing, where you can depict the overuse of digital media and its negative repercussions.
3 . Monitoring digital time
Though excessive use of digital media has adverse effects, we can’t deny its role in your child’s education. From solving complex math problems to learning about 3D technology, kids rely on their cell phones and laptops for education.
But you cannot be sure whether they are studying or playing games. Hence, you must keep track of their digital time and remind them when it’s time for a break.
4 . Help in building good routines
Good habits are important because they keep us healthy and happy. From sleeping to waking, teach your kids to do things on time. It will help them to follow a system, avoid overuse of digital media, and focus on their health.
Also, you could help your kids in planning their routines & exploring interests, which will keep them busy and away from social media.
5 . Be a good example
Humans learn from imitation. From eating and speaking to writing, newborns behave in what they perceive first, and so do today’s kids. If you use excessive media, your children will do the same.
Be an excellent example for your kids — don’t use cellphones while eating, develop family reading habits before bed, avoid zoom meetings during family time, etc. Show them you practice what you preach.
Turing is helping remotely working parents in striking a balance between their professional and personal life.
Summary
Remote work has made parenting in a digital world easy. This growing popularity of remote culture has given birth to many companies that assist in providing job seekers high quality and well-paying jobs. Turing is one striking example. Turing helps remote developers & recruiters find quality jobs and talent, respectively.
The benefits of digital parenting as a remote worker/parent are shared enthusiastically by the various remote developers who work at the company. In this video, Megha, who works in the tech domain, talks about her experience working with Turing and how remote work is channeling her to become a better mother.
You can find over 100+ development job types depending on your skills, knowledge, and experience. Some of the developers from Turing work for top companies, such as Coinbase, Amazon, Dell, Disney, etc.
Ready to become a digital remote parent with Turing? Apply here for jobs
