At last I could save my son, a student of class IX, from the verge of ruining his life because of excessive screen time. In my son’s case, it was television; and excessive was four or more hours every day. My wife and I were very much worried when we saw our son could not improve his result in the examinations in spite of taking various steps regarding his study. Every attempt seemed to be futile; we tried to motivate him, provided house tutors, consulted with his teachers. Then I started to observe his life style minutely and found he was not regular in his daily activities.
He went to bed and got up from bed late. Of course, he was trying to regulate his life but could not. His teachers and tutors complained that he was not serious in his study. But I had faith in his talent and seriousness about his life. There must be something wrong somewhere.
One thing I did not take seriously before was that he was fond of watching television. He used to watch national and international cricket matches. He used to see TV serials, dramas, and ‘Mirakkel’, a funny show. Most of his study time and resting time was used up by watching television.
Without further thinking, I packed up the television set and removed it from the Drawing Room. Nobody of my family protested, as if everyone wanted it. To my surprise, within very few days, I saw a great change in my son. He became regular in his activities. He got ample time for study and for sound sleep. There was a sublime look in his appearance. He started mixing with other boys of his age. He also started doing chores, which he always refused before. I found him stepping in the world of reality. His teachers informed me that my son has become serious about his study. In the final examination of class IX, he showed a great improvement.
I am thankful to Almighty that I could take a timely decision. I know today’s parents allow children to use computers, iPads, tablets, smartphones, and internet. But you must limit screen time for them. You shouldn’t allow them any more than an hour on any of those devices. Excessive screen time not only bad for their eyes, it also disturbs their brain and intellectual development. So, take a timely decision before it’s too late.