The Perils of Screen Time Overdose in Kids

In recent times, media consumption and excessive screen time are on the rise among all age groups. From toddlers to preteens, to teenagers and adults, members of every generation are busy with their digital devices at a bewildering rate. Screen time overdose has serious repercussions, particularly for kids as they have impressionable brains that are still developing.

Digital devices and social media have become an integral part of our lives. However, a kid’s brain is highly sensitive to electronic simulation; therefore, parents should set limits on their screen time.

The Perils of Screen Time Overdose

Obesity – Excessive time engaging in a sedentary activity like watching TV, staring at smartphones, or playing videogames, is a major peril for becoming overweight.

Sleep problems – Screen time before bed can interfere with the sleep cycle, leading to insomnia and other sleep problems.

Health issues – Too much screen time can cause health problems in kids, such as headaches, neck/shoulder pain, eye strain, depression, and anxiety.

Behavior problems – Kids who spend more than two hours daily watching TV or using a smartphone are more likely to experience behavioral problems, including emotional, social, and attention issues. Many studies have reported that screen time can stimulate the release of brain chemical dopamine, which can cause impulse control issues.

Educational issues – Excessive screen time can seriously damage Kids’ long-term development. It causes issues with language and communication, problem-solving, and gross motor skills. Eventually, it may cause disparities in learning and behavior at school.

Violence – Exposure to violent content can cause kids to become desensitized to it, and consequently, they will use violence to solve their problems.

How Parents Can Curb Screen Time Overdose?

There is no denying that we are the first generation to have figured out how to limit screen time in kids. Setting screen limits makes it easier for parents to monitor their digital activities and help them avoid access to inappropriate or explicit content. When they have limited screen time, they are less likely to get involved in cyberbullying, online dating, or online harassing. Many parenting experts have suggested guidelines regarding a balanced screen time:

Talk to your kids

Discuss the negative impacts of excessive screen time with your kids. Teach them how they can use their digital devices responsibly.

Create tech-free zones

Try to keep family gatherings tech-free. Plan family activities that do not include digital devices.

Centrally-located, family charging station

Create a family charging station away from bedrooms to discourage the use of devices at inappropriate times.

Use a parental monitoring app

If you want to manage your kids’ screen time, you will need a parental monitoring app to protect them from the dangerous consequences of screen time overdose. Several parental control apps are available in the market, offering an extensive range of monitoring features. One such app is Xnspy which is highly recommended by most of the parenting experts.

Xnspy Overview

Getting started with this parental monitoring app is simple. You can get the app by subscribing to any one of the plans available on the official website of Xnspy. The Basic version offers all the standard parental control features, and you can buy Xnspy Basic subscription by paying $4.99 per month. With the Premium version, you can get all the advanced monitoring features to keep tabs on the digital activities of your minor. For the Premium version, you will be billed $7.49 a month.

Xnspy is the best parental monitoring app that offers a bundle of features at a reasonable price. Xnspy works smoothly, even with the latest Android and iOS versions. Xnspy supports Android devices running OS between 4.X and 9.X. Xnspy iOS monitoring app works on iOS versions 6.X, 7.X up to 12.4.1.

If you want to control the screen time of your kids, first you have to know what they are doing on their devices. You have to monitor what activities they are spending maximum time. Once you know about their phone apps or activities, you can use parental controls to limit their screen time. With Xnspy parental monitoring app, you can:

Monitor calls and messages

Texting is the kids' most favorite way to communicate with their fellows. You can access all text messages that they had been sending or receiving. With this parental monitoring app, you can read messages and check the details like date and time. Also, you can get alerts via email on suspicious words like “sex,” “drugs,” “beer.”

Track GPS location

With too much screen time comes digital dangers like online predating and virtual kidnapping. Online predators use social media platforms to exploit kids and blackmail them to meet in-person. Xnspy parental monitoring app lets you track every GPS activity of your loved ones. You can view all past visited locations of your kids with date and time details. Further, you can add specific places to your Xnspy Watchlist to ensure their outdoor safety. Xnspy can send you instant alerts via email on the for all watchlisted locations.

Read emails

If your child is acting apprehensive or hiding their phone whenever there is an email notification on the phone, you can read all sent/received emails by logging into your Xnspy account. You can explore the reason why your kid is depressed so you can take appropriate measures before it is too late.

Access social media chats

If your minor is always busy chatting with his friends on social media, you have to take notice of that, as social media is the major factor behind rising issues of depression and anxiety among young kids. Xnspy lets you read all instant messenger chats of your child. You can also access shared multimedia files on popular social media sites like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Kik, Line, and many others.

Monitor web browsing history

How much information does the internet hold? You can’t even imagine. A single word search can bring up inappropriate or sexually explicit content on your kid’s digital device. At this age, they want to explore the world without knowing the potential dangers. As a parent, you have to do your job by making the internet a safer place for them. Internet addiction is the major factor behind screen time overdose among young kids. Xnspy parental monitoring app lets you access the web browsing history of your kid's digital device. By placing the right filters, you can change the browser settings to cut the screen time.

Remotely control your kid’s phone

You can talk to your kids about the perils of screen time overdose. Set screen time rules, and if your kids aren’t abiding by the rules, you can remotely control their device with Xnspy. You can lock their device, take live screenshots, and view the installed apps. You can check app usage frequency and see the time spent on each app. If you find any inappropriate app, you can block those apps to end the root cause of their addiction. Further, you can wipe the data from your kid’s device.

When it comes to using tech, finding a balance is the only way that can benefit your family. Though it isn’t the easiest task, using a parental monitoring app like Xnspy can help a lot. You can manage their screen time by keeping tabs on their online activities and by monitoring their social media chats. Besides, you can get alerts about their digital activities. Set clear boundaries for tech and monitor if your kids are following these screen time rules by using this parental monitoring app, Xnspy.