Daily TribuneDuring the first five years of a child is where the child forms his social and emotional skills, so the doctor advised setting the proper environment for these and this includes proper gadgets handling.
‘The consistent routines that you instill into your children, they would bring that even to adulthood.’
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
To fight rising rates in digital addiction, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content and mental health issues, countries such as Australia, France, Indonesia, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates have banned social media access to children 15 or 16 and below, with countries such as Malaysia, Greece, Norway, Denmark, Austria and the Philippines following suit with drafted legislations for also prohibiting social media access to those 14 to 16 and below.
While legislation is still pending in the Philippines, actress Iza Calzado believes that with or without a formal ban, adults should first serve as role models when it comes to proper gadgets use.
According to her, while she understands that many parents give gadgets to their children because they’re very busy, tech should never replace humans as children’s guardians.
“Your work as a parent can be overwhelming,” Iza said, admitting that she, too, has a “full cup.”
“My cup, my schedule is full. Oftentimes, I feel like drowning with the level of responsibilities that I have to do… Women must look like they’re effortlessly in control of things but in reality, it takes so much weight,” she professed during a recent press conference for a food supplement brand.
It is, however, “important that you model early on the kind of behavior you want your child to have,” she urged fellow parents.
“The consistent routines that you instill into your children, they would bring that even to adulthood,” Dr. Katrina Florcruz-Dacanay, pediatrician and mom, said in the same panel discussion, backing Iza.
Kids being like sponges in their first five years pose “a great opportunity for us to train our children,” she said.
During the first five years of a child is where the child forms his social and emotional skills, so the doctor advised setting the proper environment for these, and this includes proper gadgets handling.
Iza, for example, makes sure that whenever she eats with her family, she would try not to sneak at her phone. Also, she makes it a point not to check her phone first thing in the morning. If she has to, she makes sure her daughter Deia doesn’t see her.
Instead of checking her phone, her “non-negotiable routines” include praying in the morning and saying grace before meals.
“Start your day with a prayer. Start talking about what you’re grateful for,” she suggested.
Moreover, she encouraged parents to also engage their children’s other caregivers in proper device usage. This way, parents and guardians can work together to “help build children’s foundation” for a better “peace of mind.”
