Let’s explore below and see how our children could make a better world.

There’ll Be More Laughter

We often are so focused on being productive, or “busy being productive” that we forget to have a good laugh. When was the last time that you had a good laugh? Right, can’t remember. It’s not your fault. We’re programmed to focus on being busy and chasing the dollar. If children were to rule the world, it’ll be a lot more laughter. And that’s a great thing.

There’ll Be Less Judgement

Judgement leads to distorted views, most times far from reality. Children don’t judge. How many of us have judged and been judged? Billions. It’s instilled in us and it’s hard to bypass. Judgement is nothing but a negative factor. There are endless quotes on judging. These have been conceived for good reasons. Imagine a world where judgement goes away. If children were to rule the world, perhaps we’ll realize this. But for now, there’s no hope until we as adults make a serious effort to be less judgemental.

There’ll Be Less Grudges

Kids don’t hold grudges. Adults do. Are we worst than kids? Yes. Children cry in one minute and laugh the next. They don’t hold grudges. They want to be happy and play. There’s no room for “cold shoulder” attitude. Time is more valuable when playing, not holding grudges. Would it be great if we could brush off grudges and collaborate and treat each other well? This could happen if children ruled the world.

There’ll Be More Learning

Kids, especially toddlers have an amazing thirst for learning. We look at our son and he’s entrenched in some of the books that we get for him. We’re all missing the thirst for more education. Why? Because we’re “busy”. When was the last time that you learned something meaningful that you can apply to your life. Notice I didn’t say job because your life is more important than your job and should always come first. If children were to rule the world we would be more educated and that’s a powerful thing.

There’ll Be More Active Lifestyles

Those chips taste irresistible. “Bet you can’t have just one”. Good marketing slogan but at whose expense? Ours, of course. If children were to rule the world there will be more walking, jumping, running and overall more active lifestyle. How often do we jump in the car and so we can drive 5 minutes to get groceries? Very often. In fact, we’ll argue that it’s 99.99% of the time. What if we walked more? Biked more? Ran more? This will not only save your money, it’ll make your healthier. And good health is pure gold.

There’ll Be More Friendlier People

Children have the ability to just go to another child and start playing. Of course kids could be shy at times. However, if you go to a park with your own kids, you’ll realize this. Even if you don’t have kids, you’ll often see kids stopping and trying to “talk” to other kids. What if we were to be more friendlier? Wouldn’t that be more advantageous for us as a society? The interesting fact is that children are friendlier without expecting anything back. We as adults do. It’s the plain truth no matter how you coat it. If children were to rule the world, we would live in friendlier times. And everyone will benefit.

There’ll Always be a New Start

Everyday is a new start. Kids don’t know the day, time, month, year. All they know is that tomorrow will be a new day. A new day to play, laugh and enjoy. We take for granted that every day is a new day. We’re too busy looking into the past or worried about tomorrow. If we were to play and focus on today, there’ll be more happiness in our world. If children were to rule the world, this is one key lesson to learn.

There’s a tremendous amount of learning that we can get from our own children. Even if you don’t have kids, just look around and observe. We certainly believe that there’s a lot to learn. We’re still learning every day. This makes our lives much more interesting and fulfilling. Of course, we’re dead tired by the end of the day. But at least, we know that we’ve done our best and look for new lessons so we can become better parents. If children were to rule the world, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

What are your thoughts? How do you see the world if children ruled it?

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I recall being overseas and was amazed on how people of all ages were glued onto their phones. Hardly anyone being social. No wonder the “older generations” are quick to point out that we now live in a digital world. But, are we all hands off? According to Pew Research Center on mobile phone ownership over time, it is estimated that the vast majority of Americans or 95% have a cell phone of some kind. As of January 2018, the smartphone ownership is at about 77%. Consider this fact for a moment: in May 2011 the smartphone ownership in US was at about 35%! In 7 years, we experienced a grown of 42% in smartphone ownership! The largest population with a smartphone are the 18-29 year olds. Surprisingly, the 65+ own a cellphone of some kind (85%) and 46% own a smartphone.

How screen time affects children’s development, based on research

Implications of too much screen time:

Liraz Margalit from Psychology Today wrote a research paper in 2016 on What Screen Time Can Really Do to Kids’ Brains. In short the study found that:

1. Too much screen time too soon has a negative effect on the ability to focus, pay attention and communicate to other people as well as building a large vocabulary. If you think that you are giving your child the ability to educate them through a tablet, think again. The most critical ages of a child development is from zero to three as the brain develops the fasted during this period. All kids require stimuli from the environment not through screens (playing, listening, watching others, etc.). If a child is exposed to screens for extended periods of time, her or his development is restricted.
2. This can have the following consequences:
   1. Trouble making friends easily
   2. No real world connection – No on/off switch, resulting in instant gratification of clicking on other videos or images which translates into immediate response

Latest Research:

How about our own effect on our children development? How does that play? A new study from University of Michigan, C.S. Mott Children Hospital is out and it does present some sobering facts about parents that spend too much time on their phones, tables or laptops. The study took into account 170 parents (two-parents homes) in the US with children who were over three years old.

The parents were asked questions about their time spent on their phone, tables, laptops and TVs. Specific questions looked at the duration, the reasons and how these parents use tech devices. The main focus was on how the use of these devices interrupts family time such as checking emails, texts or social media updates. Parents were also asked about their children’ behaviour when checking texts or emails. Key reactions include hyperactivity, grumpiness and negative behaviour of the children.

Conclusion:

The main conclusion of the study is that, the child feels frustrated because there’s not enough importance place on them. This in turn makes the child feel the need to act out for attention, due to parents’ focus on their mobile phones. The fight to get the attention back is usually negative as the child feels that he or she is unimportant. Sobering facts.

Other studies have also concluded that too much screen time on children development, even teenagers or adults can have the following health issues:

1. Vision issues
2. Poor posture due to excessive time spend on various devices
3. Brain development and learning problems
4. Mental health and depression
5. Lack of attention and sleep problems

Listen, as I mentioned, we’re all guilty. Knowing that, how do we address this issue which is critical when it comes to child development. I’m suggesting some solutions below. By all means, these are not the “all in one” answer to all families that are looking at managing this issues better.

How to manage the impact of screen time on child development (and as a parent also):

1. It start with you, so limit the time on your phone, laptop or table the minute you walk into the house. You’re the role model, so be a good one to follow. Most of all, this will give you the ability to be present in the moment versus being there but thinking of something else. Your children deserve your full attention the minute you walk in the door.
2. No phones or tables at dinner. Simple straight rule that you can follow. I must admit, we sometime do have a table at the table so that we can feed Noah but realizing that this is not the best option for the long term.
3. A movie is fine as long as it does not go over 1 hour. So limit your time accordingly and time it in a way that is beneficial for the family. Example, don’t watch TV too late or too early.
4. Get outside and explore the world. Children develop by interacting with other children. I make sure that I take Noah to the park at least four to five times per week, weather pending. This gives him the ability to develop his social skills, his courage (he can get on the slide by himself now!), and play with other children.

Now that you have the latest research on how screen time affects children’s development, how are you going to address it? What was the biggest challenge and the best solution you implemented as a parent? How did it work and what was implementation time frame for it? We look forward to hearing about your own views and recommendations so that we can all benefit together as families.

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