A parent's personal recount of weaning her child off addiction to the iPad

Rachel Lim

Any mummies successfully weaned your child off iPads, smartphone devices or electronic gadgets before?


What do you observe in your child during the weaning-off period and the differences after which? Especially for the kids who are very addicted.


Personal experience. My girl used to stay overnight at my mom's place every Friday night and she will be on the iPad from the time she reaches there until 2-3am because my mom refused to curb her usage. She would come home feeling very tired, not to mention being short-tempered, extra rude for the next 2 days. She gets very restless and bored not knowing what to do. She also has problems paying attention in class too. These symptoms usually get better by mid-week, however the cycle repeats itself once again when she comes home on Saturday.


Eventually we decide to stop her stay-overs; she was very upset initially but after 1-2 weeks things got better and we didn't need to endure her tantrums anymore.


By the way, this took placed when she was around 6-7 years old.


I learned from a friend how her son became very agitated and violent towards them when she started to wean her son off the iPad. It lasted for a bit while she continued to encourage and engage her son in other activities. After the rehabilitation period, her son reverted to his old self before iPad addiction took over- he talked more, and connected more with other people too.


This prompted me to think, is the problematic addiction to electronic gadgets far more serious than we actually realize?


Would you be astute enough to sense if your child (including toddlers and infants) are already unhealthily glued to electronic gadget entertainments?


This first appeared as a post on the Facebook wall of Healthy Food For My Baby on 30 August 2016. Do join in the discussion over there if you have thoughts to share.


YOU MAY WISH TO READ:


The case for depriving your child (or even yourself) of a smartphone


eReaders aren't destroying reading-they're just changing it


Smartphones: mind-controlling parasites we love