Today, many say that babies are born knowing how to use a smartphone because technology is so much part of children’s daily lives. However, experts worldwide are studying the best ways for parents to share the digital experience with their children safely and playfully.
We here at the Moto Community have taken a look at the top tips so you can let little ones use their smartphone to learn and have fun without worrying too much.
1. Beware of examples
Experts in early childhood education say that children learn a lot by imitation. So, if you’re that guy who doesn’t put down his smartphone even at lunchtime with the kids, they’ll learn the message: you can use it anytime. Try to hold the wave a little.
2. Always have a control app
Only release what you think the child can access. In the Play Store you will find security applications, such as Safe Kids, by Kaspersky, or Family Orbit, by AppObit LLC, which block various smartphone functions and you can define what the child can and cannot access. In other words, zero worries.
3. Put rules
In addition to controlling what children can and cannot see, you also need to set some ground rules, especially regarding usage time. Experts guarantee that 2 hours a day is a healthy time for children between 4 and 10 years old. And, if you have a child under this age, the advice is to always use it together, as if it were a game between parents and children.
4. The smartphone is not a villain
At this point, the rule applies that you can’t blame the fridge for making ice. Technology is always an ally when it is put to good use, and with the smartphone it is no different. For every age group of a child, there are specific apps for you to let them use. Child psychologists recommend that you always check an app’s rating and function when downloading it for your child, and that you balance games with other apps that develop your child’s intelligence. In the Play Store, in the Family category, you will find many options.
5. Stimulate curiosity
A great advantage of using smartphones with the little ones is the possibility of stimulating, and a lot, their curiosity. In addition to apps and games that are designed with this function, you can also teach kids to look for answers to questions they have. To do this, you just need to have the Chrome browser installed and a parental control app. With that, you show the kids how to do research on the Internet and encourage them to go further in the search for information. So children can explore the digital world even more.
6. History always on
In the case of older children, who already have their own smartphone, always leave the Google history options activated to track what they used. For this, before giving a smartphone to the child, create a Google email and activate the history. Then, set that same email as the account to be used on the smartphone. So, as you have the password, you can always enter the history and check what is being used on the cell phone. This option allows you to access it from your notebook or your own smartphone.
7. Common sense always
Educators and child psychologists guarantee that the smartphone cannot be a substitute for fathers and mothers, that is, common sense is essential for the safety and development of children. Children can and should play in the real world and must also learn to relate to other children and adults and have experiences outside the digital world.
Therefore, more than banning or limiting smartphone use, it is very important that you encourage children to live the real world as well, because with a balance between the two things, you will give the best of both worlds to your children.
Here at Moto Community, we believe that the shared experience is always special when it comes to kids. And with Moto Snaps you can share amazing things with kids! Have you ever thought about using the projector to watch a movie with your child this Children’s Day? You can put on the Moto Snap Insta Share Projector to make the experience even more amazing! Or, if you prefer, you can use JBL SoundBoost for those music apps that kids love.
