Children are growing up tech savvy, but at what cost to their mental health? – Hayley Matthews

It's a hard balance to strike, getting it right with technology and children.

Many children are fascinated by modern technology (Picture: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

All the kids have phones these days, they message each other, film things, watch things, search for things, ask Siri questions, play games and do everything else in-between that phones can do.

The young generation is tech savvy and when they leave school, they'll need to know the basics of computers, laptops, phones and the like. It will all, most very likely, be part of their working environment.

So the use of tech is something that should actively be encouraged. I see coding classes springing up everywhere at the moment, and they're advertised for kids aged eight to 11! I couldn’t even put the code in a padlock when I was eight.

Kids are geniuses these days.

However, there's a downside to having all this new technology at the tip of their little digits: they can't switch off! There are the WhatsApp chats, the FaceTimes, the "watch this video", the arguments, bickering, voice notes and even the standard phone calls.

It's too much! Too much for your average ten-year-old, too much for your average teenager, too much for most adults. In fact, if I'm being honest, it's too much for anyone.

This constantly being reachable, on-call 24/7, is something only people getting £50,000 a year should subject themselves too. My problem, however, is how do you introduce a child to technology (tech that is going to be a very important part of their future) but at the same time tell them it can damage their mental health?

The balance is trickier than mixing up a batch of French macarons!

It's gotten to the point I've “adapted” my son's phone, mainly to save his mental health from deteriorating due to the constant barrage of messages, pings, alerts and voice notes. The notifications are off, there is a limit on when it's used, there are fewer "WhatsApp group chats" and its use is not as an extra limb but for the odd game and to occasionally chat with friends.

I see a difference in the last few days, the addiction to tech is waning. There is less need for the constant communication with friends and the value of "switching off", having downtime and being quiet, is clear and massively welcomed.

Lockdown gets the blame for most things just now. However, I'm wondering if this constant need to be in contact with friends has come as a result of lockdown, or is it something that kids will just do given the opportunity?

So my dilemma continues as the constant stream of latest apps, games, videos and filters are released in to the tech world. My job as a parent is to try and educate my kids on the pros and cons of tech and the responsibilities that come with using gadgets.

I know I'm not the only parent in this dilemma just now, as one mum told me recently she'd "hid" her daughter’s charger because the phones doing her head in! I have to admit, it's a tactic I may use in the future.

However, in the meantime, education, awareness and boundaries are the way forward for us just now. Until our eldest works out how to change the WiFi password, we're putting boundaries on tech time.

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