Rifat Zafreen: Timon, why are you still playing on computer? It has been more than one hour baby’—mother shouts at Timon holding her smart phone chatting with her friends on messenger. Getting back from work Timon’s father also gets busy with phone and internet and advises Timon not to play on computer and use smart phone for so long while father himself remains on net without playing with and accompanying little Timon!

This situation of Timon is almost common for most of the urban children. No sooner they get time and opportunity; they do not get late to sit with mobile phone other than playing and jumping with their friends and family. Laptop and smart phone have become their best company that they even can spend the whole day with those. Addiction in internet is an important issue and children’s internet addiction has become a burning question these days, though internet has made our life comfortable, easy and the whole world within our reach. Now days the whole world is virtually connected. It is as if the world is at our doorstep and it is due to internet. Chatting with friends during leisure or for getting answer of any question or information on any issue, internet is simply unique. Almost everyone spends most of their leisure time using internet, no matter on laptop, tab, PC or smart phone. But the bad side of this so very convenient and frequent use of internet is addiction and it is very unhealthy and harmful for us and forever children especially. This is true that it is the demand of time to be technology literate, to be internet user friendly, but this is not ever expected that our children would get into internet addiction at such a state that our children would use only internet other than playing with friends and spending time with family members. We never want our children would spend their leisure with mobile phone and tab only and make these their only friends. This is truly worrisome. It is very needed to take effective measures against this and protect our children from being internet addicted.

Parents are the key factors to remove children’s internet addiction and their role in this case is prime. If the adults remain busy with internet and social media most of the time, children then also think it normal to use internet and thus gradually get addicted in internet. It is so must to lessen the use of smart phone, tab and internet as much as possible in order to stop children’s internet addiction. It is necessary for the parents to spend quality time with children after getting back from work. If parents start using social net and playing games putting their children into study, it is not ever expected and possible that their children would study attentively. And in this situation it would be normal that children would get up from study and would like to want to play games on mobile phone or tab. While children sit to study, parents should sit with them, read books or news papers or magazines or do other work other than using internet and getting into social media in front of them and depriving them from having quality time. Children will learn from their parents and from the adults and so it is needed and necessary to be their role model. 

In many families, members and especially parents give mobile phone or tab to the children to divert their attention or stop tears or while they get fed up with the children. And no sooner the babies get the mobile phones or tabs, they become very good babies, quiet, soft and gentle. The babies truly know the technique to have those they want for. But the parents forget, by doing this they sow the seed of problems since after that, the more the baby grows up, the more it gets stubborn accordingly. In today’s world though it is hard to find out a perfect solution of this problem, still we should try to keep our children away from mobile phones and internet as much as possible. We can try to shift the bad mood of our babies in another way. Parents and family members can roam them around holding them into their laps, can play with them, can make fun with them or cool down them with any toys other than giving mobile phone or tab, if they cry or shout a lot. We have to make our children understand that mobile phone is a useful thing not a playable thing. We have to limit a certain time to use internet for our children. They should be understood that their priority should not be playing games over phone or tab or using internet. Parents can say that after they complete their study and school task, they can be given to play over phone or use internet for a certain time.

Our children, since are experiencing that all the adults at home and outside are using smart phones with easy access of internet most of the time other than giving them quality time, it is not completely possible to keep our children away from cell phone or tab or internet. Even prohibiting children completely from using internet or smart phones will not be a right idea under the current situation when internet and smart phone has become a part of our life. Parents and family members rather can monitor and keep sharp eyes on them that what games they are playing or which page Page they are viewing orwhat videos they are watching or what things they are searching using internet. While our children grow up, parents should give them clear idea of the bad sites and good and bad sides of internet. Password can be put on the phones of the adults in the family. This would help our children not to use internet and smart phone without any assistance. Whenever children will be given phone for a certain time, there should be put kid’s mode on the phone. This would keep control over the usage of internet by our children. Parents can set plan on what things they can watch or what games they can play during their playtime. This would help them having a good playtime. We cannot expect, our children will stay away from having internet addiction if we ourselves remain addicted in internet and smart phones and do not give our children any quality time and thus do not ensure them our company in a right way.

Adult members of our family need to take our children to the nearby parks and fields for playing. We can buy them toys and new books. This would divert their attention and keep them away from using internet unnecessarily. Puzzles and creative toys help children be more analytical and sharp. New magazines every month can also help having their reading habit. At the same time it is also true that internet is not completely bad and harmful for the children, if it is used properly and effectively. Internet and smart phones thus could benefit our children a lot, if these are used properly. Educative apps can be downloaded in the phone which would work as an effective education media for our children. They can be taught to prepare any power point presentation on any issue they like. This would help them finally to be interested in programming. Different educative videos can be asked them to watch, which would be a huge information bank for them. These videos are available in different video sharing sites. They can be shown maps to make them interested in Geography using internet. For example while they read about seas and mountains in their text books, they can be shown those or some adventurous journey in seas and mountains using internet over phones or computers or tabs. This would let them feel good and help them increase interest and attention in study in a much different and better way.

Children should be encouraged to get involved in extra curriculum activates like sport, dance, songs, art, debate etc. This would help our children having a healthy physic and psyche. Our children are our asset and future of the country. We can no way spare the risk of being them insecure. We have to mould their habit, attitude and bent of their mind and for that we have to remain very careful and aware about them from the very beginning. At the same time have to rectify ourselves first and mould our own habits and attitude accordingly as parents are the role models to the children.

Parents so should give children quality time. They can go for pillow fight or dancing or reading books to them before going to sleep. So many things can be done for the children to keep them happy, busy and away from internet and mobile phones. Adults should also remain away from phones and internet while they will accompany their children. This would help having a strong bondage between parents and children along with help the children not to get addicted in internet and so in smart phones and tabs.

Giving quality time to the children is must. Shaping our own attitudes and having awareness is the priority to keep our children safe, happy and addiction free from internet, smart phone and tab. And it is our one and only responsibility to secure our children from all odds. Thus we can make our children addiction free from gazetts and internet and make their life happy.