Giving iPads to kids can be a helpful distraction and entertainment tool for many parents. But mom-of-three Rachelle Farquhar began to notice that letting her kids have them was having a lot of negative consequences.
It inspired her to implement iPad-free parenting. And after just 2 months of not letting her kids use iPads, she shared the shocking results.
“They’re completely different kids,” she shared in a now-viral Instagram video.
Taking away iPads from toddlers
Farquhar explained that in preparation for the family taking a vacation to Disney World, she decided to start taking her toddlers’ iPads away from them 2 months before. And the changes were drastic.
“What your mom said is true the screens really are the problem 😂,” she shared. “I mean, we sit down and watch movies but they can sit down and watch the entire thing without a short attention span.”
In another Instagram post, she shared that taking away iPads resulted in, “longer attention span, less tantrums, good behavior, increased creativity.”
5 tips for taking iPads away
Farquhar broke down exactly how she implemented the no-iPad life into her parenting. She offered Tk helpful tips to parents looking to take away iPads:
1. Start by giving them time limits.
Farquhar explained parents can do this naturally by following a “sort of schedule tied in with ‘you’re allowed iPad for 30 minutes before dinner after that, we have to turn it off’.”
She added that they key is to “make sure it is nowhere that they can find it or reach it.”
2. Find better shows/movies
In the comments, Farquhar shared that the goal is to have kids watch entertainment that ultimately won’t shorten their attention span like many short-form videos.
“For example, sometimes we will watch a movie as a family together once a week,” she wrote. “And I think my point was more that instead of a seven second clip, they potentially are watching and scrolling… the attention span is now there to actually sit down and watch a full movie!”
3. Teach them to be bored.
“Kids do not need entertain 24/7. Surprisingly there’s a lot of skill in learning to do simply nothing. Being bored as a lost art.” Farquhar shared.
She added in another clip, “It is not a bad thing if your kids are going to be bored. Kids need to be bored.”
4. Give them other things to do.
In another Instagram post, Farquhar offered four different ideas to replace iPads, including: having kids color, play with magnetic tiles, teach them games like Rock Paper Scissors or iSpy, and small toys like a dinosaur or car.
5. Don’t judge yourself.
Finally, Farquhar wanted to be clear that she wasn’t shaming other parents who choose to utilize iPads, and “You are not a bad mom” for using them.
“I am not here to shame any mom who has ever given their kid an iPad there’s enough people on the Internet for that,” she said in another post. “Not all screen time is bad. Not all iPad use is bad. But there are ways we can do it safely and better.”
Instead, it’s okay to recognize what using the iPad has been like, and it’s okay to change things up.
