Watch Out for Children's Internet Use During Mid-Term Break

"Balance your children's time spent in front of computers"

During the pandemic, children spending extended periods in front of screens due to distance learning are using the semester break to shed all the fatigue and stress of the period. Yeşilay is offering various recommendations for children to spend healthy and productive time at home during these days when mobility restrictions continue.

Yeşilay General Chair Prof. Dr. Mücahit Öztürk, noting that holidays are very important for children's rest and preparation for the new term, stated the following:

"The continuation of restrictions due to the pandemic during the semester break causes children and young people to spend their days at home. Families need to support children's mental and physical development to minimize risks that could lead to technology dependency. Under current conditions, families can spend time together engaging in various games and activities or share household chores. Children can be directed towards reading books at home, exercising, dancing or engaging in art. With the awareness that computers, gaming and different activities are all important for children's development, parents can ensure their children spend their time in a balanced manner."  

Parents should be role models for correct, safe and effective internet use

It is as important for children to use technology correctly as it is to keep them away from technology dependency. Öztürk, emphasizing that parents need to provide serious education to equip children with safe and controlled internet skills, stated: "There are many dimensions to using the internet correctly, safely and effectively. Active use training, meaning not only consuming but also producing things and having a presence on the internet, is one of the most important skills. In addition to using the internet for a specific purpose rather than just passing time, responsible use of the internet without harming anyone is also important. It is of great importance that parents teach all these perspectives, monitor their applications and most importantly serve as role models for their children".   All of Yeşilay's age-appropriate content on technology dependency can be accessed at tbm.org.tr.  

Recommendations for parents who want to take precautions against technology dependency and strengthen their children in conscious technology use:

• Despite pandemic conditions, there are time slots when children can go outside. During these hours, you can go to parks and gardens with your children by wearing masks and following social distancing and hygiene rules. You can play sports at basketball and volleyball courts, and have fun by using bicycles and roller skates.
• You can create opportunities to spend time together to strengthen family communication and prevent excessive technology use.
• You can create a family list of activities as alternatives to technology; you can write possible activities on small pieces of paper, put them in a box or jar and select from them as you go. Silent cinema, musical chairs, playing board games, publishing your own family newspaper or presenting a news bulletin together, trying to draw with eyes closed, creating a story by taking turns adding to it are just a few examples of such activities.
• By creating daily/weekly tables that include time spent on computers, leisure time, activities, household responsibilities and meal times, you can control how you use your time.
• During the semester break, you can take up a new hobby as a family, set goals to learn or produce something new. The internet offers great options for learning new things; from dancing to learning languages, from coding to drawing, from producing animation videos to composing music, you can gain many skills, share what you learn with each other, and perhaps create a project as a family.
• By talking with your children about internet use, you can establish rules about how, when and where the internet can be used. Do not neglect raising awareness in your child by being sensitive to inappropriate content on the internet.
• You can talk with your child about what information should not be shared with people they do not know. For example, you can explain that their birth date, home address or which school they attend should not be known by anyone other than close friends or relatives you know.
• You can tell your child that not all information they encounter on the internet may be correct; this way you can help them distinguish between correct and incorrect information.