Banning Youtube

Mumforce - 31 Mar 18

Now I know am not the only one with this topic, YouTube and the obsession my children have with it.

It started about 2 years ago when CC was 2 and she started to take an interest in the Ipad and discovered YouTube. It started harmlessly and I do limit the time she has on the Ipad but CC got more and more engrossed with the videos on offer.

She fell in love with Ryan from Ryan’s toy review, watched intensively as decorated nails opened chocolate eggs and got involved with watching other children open toys, like WTF! Some seriously strange videos.
It wasn’t until she was around 3 that I noticed that after any time after watching youtube she became…a little…(can I say it)…bitchy?

She was grumpy and erratic, often having tantrum after tantrum when this was not a normal act. I just always put it down to her being tired or hungry or just a 3 year old…

Recently Cassi has started to be interested in the Ipad that his sister loves so much, he is only one and was starting to stare deeply at the videos his sister was watching. Zoning out of the surrounding world, deeply lost in Ryans’ toy review.

I started to hate the zoned out vegetable my little daughter was turning into after just half an hour of random video time so I started not giving it to her, lying that the battery was dead, on these days no grumpy child.
The temptation to use the Ipad to entertain so I could have some peace or actually get the housework done without the kids going behind me like a hurricane is too much at times and I have to live with the aftermath meltdowns.

The topic of children and screen time is a debate that will go on for as long as time with the thing being those tablets, phones and the likes are a part of our daily lives now. Our world functions on tech and the child will in one way or another have to use it. It’s available in schools, nurseries and home, we are a tech generation.

I was a teen when mobile phones became an item that was accessible to the average Joe and not just a luxury item the rich paraded.
I was a late teen when the internet became something we couldn’t live without now it’s as if it’s always been part of our lives. It’s a powerful tool, but with power, a great darkness. I am not just meaning the dark sides on the net, which we can agree are awful but I talk about how we can be faceless, nameless behind the screen, hiding from others but still appearing to socialise. We don’t have to go outside and meet people; we can chat to like minded people confidently without having to even leave the comfort of your home. I am sure we have all done it, lost a large amount of time just flipping through social media.

Social media, the net and other media outlets have been shown to change our mood. We look through pictures of “insta perfect” people living “insta perfect” lives and we feel inferior. It’s hard to see the reality when the coating is all shiny and lovely. Deep down we know it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies but we can’t help compare ourselves with others, it’s a human reaction. We always want more.

This is a scary thought and thinking of the future my children could miss out on by living a tech life inside a screen, forgetting to lift their heads and experiencing the real wonders of outside. It’s safer right? Our children are right where we can see them but is it really how we want our children to be? How we want our children to live?

I had so much freedom as a child, I was lucky that the little island we lived on meant I was safe from harm in the sense of strangers but I was climbing trees and swimming in lakes which were more dangerous than I would like to admit. I gained life skills and independence the internet cannot teach.

I know it’s not realistic now to let an 8 year old go off on their own to swim in a lake, which the parents have no idea where they are but sitting in front of a screen for 17 hours does have its known dangers. We have to find a balance and us as parents have to find it.

So I banned YouTube, CC is still allowed the tablet but it’s now games and with limited screen time I have noticed my daughter is not zoning out, is not a vegetable but is happy to play then give it up. At first she asked where YouTube was and when I told her it was now broken, she cried, cried that her “friend” Ryan would miss her and that she wanted to see him again. Sigh, it’s hard being 4 isn’t it?

So have a wee think? Does screen time change your child? What could you do to change that? It may not even be a big change and maybe as simple as deleting an App that you hate.

We can’t stop technology being a part of our children’s lives but we can change how big a part it plays in it while they are young enough to not have the choice.

Check out more posts at MumForce and on instagram @MumForce

Mumforce

Gail aka Mumforce, is a Scottish lifestyle / parenting blogger and a mum of two, based in Edinburgh. After giving birth to 2 little darlings Gail focussed some attention towards rediscovering/discovering herself. Being a daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother can take a lot out of the best of us. Whilst in amongst/ dealing with all the unpredictability’s in life it’s an easy thing to go into pilot mode/ forget to catch your breath and although bringing up another human being is arguably one of the most difficult challenges a human can be blessed with – “it can often be the case the we want more in respect to purpose, something that is just me”. Gail is open about her mental health and hopes that through writing, honestly about her experiences she can allow others to open up and no longer feel alone. As well as talking/writing about her struggles with mental health, Gail blogs about daily life, women’s rights and issues that some are afraid to address. Throw in a few family outing reviews, product reviews and mum fashion and we have a very mixed bag which truly represents the addictive randomness that is Mumforce. ​To begin with Gail found writing as a form of therapy and a hobby however through her literacy journey Gail’s lifelong pursuit of seeking acceptance has been redefined – “ I finally understood that it was self acceptance that was being sought and have since embraced every ounce of human emotion and solidified its presence through my words”. A unique character who we can all relate to who gives a fantastic reflection of the main battle we have in life, “the person staring back at me in the mirror”.

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