Popmama.com: Children, Gadgets, and Hoaxes during the Pandemic
It’s absolutely justifiable that the focus during the era of COVID-19 is mainly on safeguarding our families’ health. However, since dealing with quarantine is a particularly stressful experience not only for parents but also for children, there are other things we need to rivet on. In the same spirit of doing what we can to assure our families’ health, Sandra Ratnasari, the Editor-in-Chief of Popmama.com, reminded us of these other things.
As gathering to playdate and study with large groups of friends is sadly not a safe idea under the attack of Coronavirus, children are required to stay at home and learn and play virtually. This, then, drives up the rate of smartphone usage on children. “Relying on cellphones and other wireless gadgets eases us in a way, indeed, but parents barely pay attention to the safety of these essential devices on children. Remember, excessive radiation levels can be harmful, too. That’s why parents need to implement strict scheduling on device usage,” Sandra said.
The focus Sandra mentioned urges parents to also be wise in monitoring their kids’ gadget use without having to seem intrusive. Sandra added, “When they are trying to access any information, the rule still goes the same wayㅡdon’t lose track on this, too. It’s hard to be vigilant all the time, yes, but helping them understand what’s meant by verified sources and credible news is extremely needed. That is, whenever they’re up for information, they know exactly where to go to.”
Other than keeping children’s healthy state of mind, giving that understanding will support them to hone their literacy skills. “Children should really be able to navigate the digital world as well as identify fake news. Without the ability to do it, they will end up damaging their own democratic futures since their critical-thinking skills to check the credibility of any information will be seldomly applied. Once they’re used to it, other skills will also get better along the way for the long run,” she concluded, closing the interview session we had.
