FOR better or worse, loads of parents swear by iPads and similar tech to keep their little ones occupied and entertained.
But one mum has banned her five-year-old daughter from using the gadget, and she insists it’s made her smarter and behave better.
The mum, who goes The Nicole World on social media, explained that in the three weeks since banning her daughter from using her iPad she’s noticed a huge difference.
Apparently, her daughter no longer asks to use the iPad first thing in the morning and when she gets home from school, something that was commonplace before.
“There definitely is an addiction and that kind of crave of wanting to go on a device when you always have access to it,” Nicole said.
And with time away from the screen, the mum said her daughter has been playing with her toys and using her imagination much more.
Not only that, but she even started asking more questions and “doing a lot more learning at home than she usually would.”
But it wasn’t just the iPad that was banned in Nicole’s house.
YouTube also got the axe, and the mum said banning it resulted in her daughter being generally “calmer” and “nicer”.
“She’s doing what she’s told a lot more now, in the mornings especially she’s just getting her shoes on without even being asked sometimes.
“She’s brushing her teeth the second she’s told to, she’s helping to make her bed, she’s dressed and ready first thing in the morning,” Nicole said.
So, it’s no surprise the mum urged other parents to cut back on screen time for their kids.
Although Nicole said it’s not that she’s never going to allow her daughter to ever have screen time or use her iPad, taking a break has undoubtedly made a difference, at least as far as she’s concerned.
The mum also noted that having time away from her iPad and YouTube means her daughter will appreciate it more when she is allowed screen time.
Nicole’s iPad ban comes after a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that parents who who give devices to calm kids down during “emotional moments” often backfires.
The study looked at children ages 3 to 5 and lead study author Dr. Jenny Radesky said that “device-calming” was correlated with an increase in emotional outbursts in certain children.
“Whenever a negative behavior is followed by something pleasing, that’s going to unintentionally and accidentally reinforce it,” she said.
Instead, the study suggested that parents should calm their kids with other methods, like getting them to exercise or hugging it out.
Other parents took to the comments of Nicole’s viral TikTok to share the results of banning screen, and many agreed they noticed a huge difference.
“We banned YouTube and notice way less aggression,” one mum said.
“My boy has been banned from the iPad for one month now and he’s doing amazing without it,” a second wrote.
And a third said: “We’ve done it with out three-year-old, he’s only allowed his Nintendo on the weekend for a couple of hours.”
Dr Amanda, who's a parenting expert and child psychologist gave a general guide for parents who wish to limit screen time.
Age 1-3 years old
How long: 5 minutes per year of life in one sitting
Dr Gummer says: “If you are really hoping your child will learn from the screen time they have then one rule of thumb is that on average children can concentrate for 5 minutes per year of their life (i.e. 15 minutes at age 3).”
Age 1+
How long: 1 hour per day
Dr Gummer says: “For younger children we feel that around 1 hour per day is a sensible limit to aim for on a regular weekday.
“Once you add together time on mobile devices, TV, computers and other devices with screens this may not seem like much (and remember children may get screen time at school).”
Age 2+
How long: 2 hour per day
Dr Gummer says: “Various sources including the American Academy of Paediatrics recommend no more than 2 hours per day (for children aged 2 and over).”
Children of all ages
Over two hours a day is excessive usage
Dr Gummer says: “A recent study saw some detrimental effects in teenagers that used more than 3 hours per day of screen time and consider this ‘excessive usage’
