IT’S been a hot topic for parents for a while now, with some parents eager to defend kids using iPads so often and others slating them for it.
One woman recently confessed she urged her sister to take away the gadget from her nephew, but was met with a harsh reaction from the mum.
Taking to Reddit, the woman explained that she often babysits her 10-year-old nephew and began to notice some weird changes a while ago.
“As of about a year ago, we started to notice that [my nephew] was beginning to develop an American accent,” she explained.
“We are Australian. Small kids have phases, and so I didn’t want to make it a thing,” she explained.
But when his accent didn’t go back to normal, the woman said she began to notice other changes in his behaviour too.
“Over the next few months, the accent got thicker and he became more irritable,” she said.
But when it was brought up to the mum she brushed it off, and said the kid was never particularly grumpy around her.
Things went from bad to worse for 10-year-old as he continued to use the gadget though, and he “started losing interest in almost all activities that he used to enjoy.”
The kid would complain about “being bored” but not want to do any of the activities that were ever suggested, unless is was to use his iPad.
Even at school people thought he had recently moved over from America because of his thick accent – but his mum still wasn’t phased, the Redditor explained.
Then came his birthday party, which was set to be a big event and the whole family were invited.
“This was the moment that made me realise to some extent what was going on. He was on an iPad, scrolling some kind of short-form content that I did not recognise.
“His friends wanted to play with him, and he just did not notice they were there, people were giving him presents, and he acted like he was inconvenienced for having to turn the iPad off.
“Never before had any of my nieces or nephews reacted like this upon me giving them money and delicious treats,” she said.
But when the situation was brought up to the mum she was left “offended” that her “parenting choices” were being questioned at all and instead decided to stop her sister from babysitting.
Later, at a different birthday the Reddit user noticed her newpher was still “completely glued to the iPad.”
Not only that but he had visibly lost weight, something she suspected was because of favouring iPad time over meals.
“I had to talk to my sister and her husband. I told them what I thought, that a year ago he was an energetic child who got along really well with everyone, and now he’s reclusive and it’s obvious from just looking at him that he’s skipping meals,” she wrote.
“I told my sister she was wrecking his life by continuing to let this iPad stuff happen. She started shouting at me, and I walked out of the party,” the woman added.
After sharing the ordeal on Reddit, other parents agreed the woman was right to be concerned, despite the mum brushing it off as normal.
“This kids parents need to seriously limit his time on the iPad. There is no reason for him to be on it for hours a day, or even every day,” one person commented.
“I hope they are monitoring the content that he is so engrossed in. Giving him free rein and so much time online is doing him so much harm,” they added.
A second agreed: “I am currently having the same issue with my mother and younger brother. He is two years old and can fully navigate an iPad and is repeating phrases he’s hearing from the iPad.”
But another thought the accent issue was nothing to worry about, “I think you’re within your rights to say something, especially if he is looking unwell and is withdrawing socially,” they said.
“However, kids picking up accents is very normal, and probably nothing to worry about.”
Excessive screen time for kids can be a problem when it starts to prevent them from their usual hobbies and activities.
The pros from Bend have shared a few tricks parents can use to better regulate tech time, leading to a healthy relationship with the online world.
Create morning and nighttime routines: While you might not be able to know exactly how much technology your child consumes during the day, you can limit this in the morning and evening.
“Help them write out their routines so that they can better manage their time. Set times when screens need to be turned off or put away and consider removing phones from your child or teen’s bedroom, so they’re not on their devices right before they go to sleep or when they first wake up,” the experts suggested.
Discourage multitasking: It’s a common issue for adults, but discouraging your child from using tech while completing other tasks can be a big help.
Encourage their IRL hobbies or activities: “Encourage your child or teen to find a class, club, or activity that interests them. Make time to get outside as a family by planning a picnic, a hike, or a trip to the beach and plan “no screen” experiences as much as possible,” the pros said.
Schedule tech breaks: Setting time aside for the whole family to be away from screens can be a good idea, according to the pros.
“Make it a family tradition and really relish the time doing things you love together. Take some time to notice how you all feel afterward and celebrate tapping into a little mindfulness together,” they said.
