A question of balance, say parents on screen time
PARENTS of pre-schoolers have been reacting to advice from the president of Education to get off their phones and devices – and the general message at the nursery gate was that it was all about balance.
Rachel McDaid, mum to Oisin, aged 6, and Eliza, aged 4, said it was all about finding a happy medium.
‘I agree and disagree. It can be hard to take iPads away especially if you’re working and there’s still chores to get done,’ she said. ‘It’s about finding a balance.
‘My son has learnt flags, countries and oceans, and all from an iPad, not me. It’s about using the technology in the right way.’
Helen, who has a seven and a three-year-old, said it was incredibly short-sighted to reduce the issues of literacy down to parental involvement.
‘Speaking as an English teacher and a mum,’ she said, ‘the issue runs far deeper than that – it’s a systemic and nationwide problem that requires input from education, government and families. To blame parents and put the guilt and pressure on them helps no one, least of all the kids.’
A father of two pre-schoolers agreed. ‘It’s not as black and white as that,’ he said. ‘Yes, less would be better, but it’s so important to teach children how to use these devices. We live in a digital world that will only become more reliant on technology, so not exposing them at a young age will mean they are left behind.’
Other parents were more in agreement with ESC’s Andrea Dudley-Owen.
‘The last two weeks I’ve come off social media,’ said mum-of-two Carla Brun. ‘I’ve been spending so much more time interacting with the kids. You need to be conscious of the amount of time you use these devices yourself.
‘I’ve been trying to limit the amount my daughter uses them too, a little bit of downtime is fine, but I’ve been trying to use workbooks instead and she really enjoys them.’
However one mother with children aged two and four said she found Deputy Dudley-Owen’s words ‘rude and judgmental’.
‘I feel like with anything in life it is about balance, and as a one-parent household, sometimes giving the children an iPad for 10 minutes is the only way to have a shower in peace.
‘That said, we are conscious to limit their screen time and they still spend the majority of the time outdoors or playing with toys and other children. So I wouldn’t say it has affected my children’s literacy levels, as they love reading books.
‘I think it is up to us as parents to find the balance, and politicians should maybe learn to rephrase their opinions, as communicating like she has will get parents’ backs up.’
