Child’s play is serious stuff! For a child, play is natural, spontaneous, enjoyable, rewarding, and self-initiated. Even play that does not have obvious learning outcomes promotes physical and mental growth and development. You might notice the areas of life that are important for children: giggling with a friend after playing a practical joke, or climbing a tree, or being fascinated by an ant crawling across the ground.
Now, in the 21st century, your children may born ‘digital’ into a generation whose members have been dubbed ’digital natives’. Childhood discovery is no longer constrained within a physical world that children can touch, taste and smell to understand. Their imagination can now be explored in digital dimensions. Ways to learn and access information are endless. Thus, it is imperative that we find ways to optimize what they are learning from their digital play.
Some children spend a lot of time using or watching digital media. Is digital engagement a threat to children’s well-being? Are they spending too much time on devices? Is it making them depressed? Dependent? Obese? Who is most at risk? What can parents and caregivers do to allow children space to explore and develop independently while also providing enough control?
As an adult, you might be contemplating ways to end this ‘passive slavery’. You may want to do a ‘digital detox’ by changing your habits and getting off your devices more. You may enjoy your tech free hours, be more productive on the work front, and your personal life could improve in the process.
But, before you restrict usage of digital devices from your children because of concerns for their development, some experts say, in digital media, children still interact with one another as much as before and that the interactions are of similar quality. It is the venues for social interaction that have changed to digital, not necessarily the content of the interactions.
Digital play is no longer solitary: approximately 70% of all digital engagements are social. Digital play also contributes to the acquisition of 21st century skills by preparing children for future roles, developing communication and collaboration skills, nurturing creativity, and providing an opportunity for digital-literacy skills.
How can parents and teachers support the digital lives of children?
Schools and parents need to work cooperatively to provide the guidelines and support on how to use technology and participae in online activities in ways that contribute to learning and wellbeing. Empowering young people with information and knowledge to keep themselves safe is important and key to effective learning.
What are the 3M’s of digital nutrition?
Think of using technology in the same way that you might think of healthy food; you know what healthy food looks like and you can tune in and notice when you’re full. The same applies to developing the skills to recognize whether your children’s feelings or other aspects of their life are being negatively impacted, for example, school, homework, social interactions, etc.
The three key aspects of Digital Nutrition are mindful, meaningful, and moderate. We can teach our children to think about these aspects when they are using techonology, or for very young children, adults should keep these aspects in mind to evaluate their usage.
Mindful: make sure children are present during their actions, and that they have an awareness of and responsibility over their activities online and how these impacts other aspects of your life and other people. Being mindful covers things such as cyber bullying and posting negative comments about other people.
Meaningful: ensure that children have a sense of purpose and clarity in regard to what they are reading, commenting on or participating in. The activities should contribute, even in a small way, to personal goals and values.
Moderate: we need to teach children how to regulate habits and usage of technology, and how to avoid negative impacts across other aspects of your life. Activities are balanced and are done in amounts that are ‘just right’! Activities that make children late for class, diengage from family time, result in not getting enough sleep, or take time away from doing homework should be restricted.
As children grow, the capacity of digitalization to shape their life experiences grows with them, offering seemingly limitless opportunities to learn and to socialize, to be counted and to be heard. It’s not about good or bad. The digital world is complex and nuanced. Again, it’s not so much the network or platform you and your children are using but the intention and goals of what you’re using it for.
Source: https://issuu.com/karenboyes/docs/tm_magazine_issue18; https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/SOWC_2017_ENG_WEB.pdf; http://cdn.tfhwebassets.com.au/assets/thf/healthmatters/2016_August.pdf; https://www.forbes.com/sites/njgoldston/2018/01/24/try-it-your-2018-digital-detox-guide/#1c167a825b4f
Writer: Aulia Nurdini
Editor: Todd Cordy
