We worry about it yet we can’t live without it. How do I manage the kids’ gadget use? Is it turning them into little monsters? What to do when they complain “I’m bored 10 minutes after you take the gadget away?”

A few days back, PLDT Home organized a “Mommy Day Out.” Celebrity moms, Denise Laurel and Isabel Oli Prats in the presence of Camille Prats and Issa Litton engaged the moms in an afternoon of chika about Parenting in the Digital World. Psychologist, guidance counselor and co-author of Growing Up Wired, Michele Alignay also gave a talk on the role of parents in managing the whole family’s use of technology ergo the term Digital Manager, or if I may alter it a bit, Digital Home Manager.

Michele was such a delightful speaker as she shared very practical tips on how to be a good Digital Home Manager. She said, statistics shows that kids who are unmonitored in their gadget use are easily bored, exhibit information overload and have a harder time controlling their emotions. Sharing with you her 10 tips.

1.Develop external regulations.

We have to provide kids external regulations in terms of length of usage time, content they view and appropriate use, etc.   Once you have set the rules and discussed these with the kids, it should strictly be followed.

As for usage time, you can use the recommendations of American Association of Pediatrics as a guide. It is good for kids to share one device, they learn to share while limiting their electronic time since they only have one.

Set a gadget-free time and gadget-free zone. All moms agree that meal times and dining areas should be gadget-free and that rule should be extended to parents as well. Some implement ‘no-gadgets’ during vacations. While other parents allow limited gadget use on school days others strictly enforce the ‘zero-gadget’ rule. Determine which works best for your child.

Agree on a device curfew at night, yes, even on weekends. Some parents turn off the wifi at a certain hour of the night. [Read more...]