Impact of the Internet on Family Relationships

Having quality family time family is essential for people of every age group. The important role it plays in holistic development, establishing deeper bonds among members, and diminishing the generation gaps is also backed by several studies. Today the lack of a proper relationship between parents and children is very apparent. Who is to be blamed for this? Technology? Gadgets? Kids? Or parents themselves? Maybe nothing and no one. Devices and technology can never enslave humans. It's always our way of perceiving and reacting to the situation.

Regardless of the significance of technology, gadgets, and social media in every sphere of our lives, we can't overlook the barriers created between parents and children by themselves. But with a little alertness, affection, and the will to bridge this barrier, parents can easily stabilize their bonds with their children and share a healthy relationship.
 

To get to the bottom of the 'Impact of the internet on family relationships', Ezyschooling organized an influential panel discussion. The session was executed by reputed panelists: 

• Mrs. Anjana Arora, Principal at R.D. International School 
• Dr. Vasudha Neel Mani, Principal at Rockwoods International School
• Dr. Amrita Vohra, Executive Principal at GEMS International School and Director of Education at GEMS Education India.
• Ms. Anju Badhwar, Principal at Bharat Ram Global School
• Mrs. Supriti Chauhan, Principal at Delhi Public School

How much time should parents spend with their children every day?

Through a very beautiful poem, Anjana Ma'am demonstrated the relationship parents have with their children today and how technology has taken over the quality time families spent earlier. Even though parents and kids stay home all day because of the ongoing pandemic, they are not spending time together. Social media and gadgets have isolated everyone. 

Adding to this Vasudha Ma'am states that there should not be a limit on the time parents spend with their kids. They must focus on whether the time spent was positive and beneficial or not.

Suggestions for some activities that families can spend time doing together.

Involvement is the most important part of family time as stated by Anjana Ma'am. She stated that children must be involved and parents must make them feel valued. 

This was furthermore made more understandable when Amrita Ma'am mentioned that we must tame technology before it tames us. She stated the importance of human touch and how it will always dominate technology.

Here are some miscellaneous activities suggested by our panelists that family members can do together:

• Cooking 
• Washing dishes
• Cleaning rooms
• Preparing grocery lists
• Setting up the table before meals
• Playing games like ludo, Antakshari, etc.

Do you feel parents don't spend time with their children or children don't spend time with their parents?

Both children and parents are so engaged in their screen time that they both fail to interact with each other. It is usually the gadgets and technology that are blamed for creating this boundary but as stated by Vasudha Ma'am that it is also a blessing for us as it helps us connect with family members who are geographically distant and it depends on parents on how to regulate their family's screen time. 

Similarly, Anju Ma'am stated that we just can't shy away from technology and stuff because it is essential for our generation.

Do cell phones and social media make family relationships stronger?

Amrita Ma'am mentioned that cell phones and social media make bonds stronger with people who are separated because of self-isolation but family members staying in the same house and interacting via gadgets rather than physically communicating is crazy. 

Agreeing with what Ma'am stated it can be concluded that technology can never replace what human interaction makes us feel. All this virtual excess will never stand at par with the feeling of real family time.

Views on 'Social Media has brought the far near and the near far.'

It is sort of comical as well as a matter of concern that accessing and interacting with a person miles away seems easier than interacting with the person next door. Everyone we are far from is just a text away but we are so much indulged in this boon that we tend to overlook the blessing we currently have - ample time to spend with our families! 

This was again asserted when Amrita Ma'am suggested to everyone that to positively utilize this lockdown and spend time and interact with family as much as possible.

How is technology affecting family time?

This was answered in the simplest way possible by Supriti Ma'am when she mentioned how people today may forget their house keys or anything more important but never their phones when leaving. Children today are bound to have access to any gadget because of their online education, parents have to work from home using these gadgets which make them use these as nannies for their kids. To keep their kids engaged while they work they hand them this stuff. This is how technology overpowers family time. It is suggested by the panelists that despite the busy schedule limited to screens, parents must abandon their phones and laptops for at least two hours a day to spend time with their kids.

How do gadgets affect family relationships?

Quoting Supriti Ma'am, "You could be right beside your child and still be miles away" sums up how gadgets affect family relationships. Using gadgets when hanging out with family members doesn't count as family time. It lacks interaction, connection, and attentiveness. It is very much important for parents to engage with children. Children learn what they see and this makes parents obliged to demonstrate to them the importance of giving up gadgets while spending time with family.

Can activities bring back strong family bonds?

Agreeing with a fellow panelist, Supriti Ma'am states that activities bring back family times provided that the parents have to get to the children's level and be more creative than the virtual world of technology they are attracted to.

It is obvious for children to remain inclined towards video games and social media but if parents try to come up with something more inventive and delightful, children will naturally get indulged in it. Activities promote human-to-human interaction, negotiations, fellowship, and lots of fun which are needed for healthy family time. So yes engaging in activities revives quality family time.

Have you read? Screen time regulations for kids of different ages and implementing them