In the New Vision of August 21, 2019, Hon. Rosemary Seninde, the State Minister for Primary Education reported how she was recently shocked to watch a WhatsApp video showing two nursery school children of 3-5 years, hiding behind a classroom block, kissing intimately. I also remembered when my 6 year old boy shocked us recently that he knows that women get pregnant through kissing. Upon asking him who told him, he told us boldly how he watched it on television (cartoons). Immediately his two siblings aged 7 and 4 years old joined the discussion and talked about other related issues. I and my wife were frozen by this discussion and the influence of cartoons/television on our children.
Children are more active, spending large amounts of their time online and televisions. It is a digital world where traditional parenting is changing and parents have to cope up with modernity. There is a saying that if you don’t change with change, change will change you. It is high time we embraced digital media because it is here to stay. At one year old, your child is already playing with your phone, putting it on his/her ear as though s/he knows how to use it to call.
The question would be, “how do we handle challenges of digital media in our parenting process?” This era has come up with the use of devices such as computers, tablets, mobile phones, iPads, televisions, smart toys among others. Research has it that most parents are not so much familiar with digital media/devices and they are therefore being taught by their children. Children today are more exposed to media, and know a lot than their parents. As such, this compromises parents’ roles, competence and authority.
Digital media has led to cyberbullying and sexual harassment, addictions, pornography, social disconnection, to both parents and children. Parents are ever on social media at home than attending to their children even when they spend more time in office. However, not all hope is lost. You can engage your children in a discussion about the benefits and dangers of digital media. Ask them to share their experience online and encourage them to always to confide in you. Watch with them and show them the bad things they should avoid watching or what impact the bad images they have watched can have on them. Don’t rush to judge when you too could be addicted to one of the devices or obsessed with reading newspapers/magazines or books.
We need to control media influence not only with our children, but also us before the situation gets out of hand. The benefits of media like social media are great but they are more harmful in the long run if not well controlled. The primary responsibility of putting measures in place to limit the time online, use of media is in your hands. Don’t relieve your authority to your children because of your ignorance. Be informed and take charge.
The writer is a child advocate and parenting coach.
tumudickson@gmail.com
