The Digital Spin

Some months back, I was on the phone with my sister, and she was expressing concerns about my 3 and half year-old nephew. She realized that excessive screen time was affecting other activities he should engage in, social interaction, and his behavior in general. He had become more irritable and less engaged with people, and even the environment. At the end of that conversation, we had decided to drastically reduce his screen time and encourage more interactive and physical activities. Three months down the line, we can see evident improvements in his behavior and relationships with others, and even in his willingness to participate in other activities. It is amazing to see how a balanced approach to media can make such a positive difference!   Media can be seen everywhere these days and has now become a big part of our lives, including the lives of young children. While media can offer great opportunities such as learning materials, games, and cartoons, it is important to help...

 We can't escape digital media in our lives anymore. It occurs even younger children. In the working area as well asparenting, we need to teach safe usage of digital media.  Part of learning it, is having media reading skills. Everything isn't true and you don't need to know everything. How to deal with problems and what are safe websites/apps. Is there something parents can do, for example using familylink etc. and block websites and apps. Of course parents need to tell children why is that and in what age it is okay to have those. Can they probably watch together? These are questions I'm having as an future social service worker.  As MLL says in their posts  Media Education - The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare  we need to give guidance but also be present and do things together so they'll learn. Parents need to set rules and discuss it with children.  For parents I would give a task; How much and what media do you use, why? Does digital media go befo...

Open communication as a gateway to safe learning   It is a known fact that the use of media has grown exponentially over the years, and this also means that media is more accessible even when you are younger. This also means that internet from TV, mobile phones, tablets and computers are more common in children's life. “The internet, social media, games, television and other media content and platforms are part of the growth environment of children .” ( MLL  2021 , 4 ) .   This is what is said in the PDF document Children and Media 7 tips for educators in the digital age   that The Mannerheim League Child Welfare has published on their website.   When talking about the internet and social media and media over all I think it's important that the words’ meanings are understood correctly. Using Cambridge dictionary, it gives these definitions to the words: internet - the large system of connected computers around the world...