Parenting is a constantly evolving adventure. A few decades back, it was all about feeding and protecting children from illness. Over the past couple of decades, parents have prioritized academics and extracurricular activities for their children from an early age.
But, in today’s world, parents are clearly going beyond traditional methods of raising kids, whether it is how babies are fed, how babies are played with, or even how the bonding is built differently from birth. It is necessary also as 90% of brain development is complete in babies before they enter formal schooling.
While technology has undoubtedly made some aspects of parenting simpler, it has also created new challenges that can be difficult for parents to navigate.
Let’s first see how technology has changed parenting.
One of the biggest ways that technology has changed modern parenting is through the use of smartphones and smart tech gadgets. These technologies have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, and parenting is no exception.
Here are some remarkable things parents in today’s society can do that were not possible for our parents:
- Smartphones enable parents to stay connected with their children at all times, whether at work or running household errands, as they can see (baby monitors) what their child is doing, and can also know the exact location (wearable GPS) of their kids, staying peaceful (or not?) at all times.
- From the moment a baby is born, parents may contribute to their child’s lifetime learning potential. Parents can use early development apps to understand their baby’s growth and get a program to boost their baby’s development from an early stage. This was not conceivable a few years ago, but now it’s possible to put infant science into practice.
- Parents also have access to communities and do not have to solely depend on ma-ka-nuska. Peer learning also helps moms to overcome post-partum depression and other challenges which impacts parenting a big time.
- Even talking to child experts has gotten easier today, so professional assistance should be the first option and not the last.
- Technology brings a wealth of information to their fingertips and also allows them to capture memories which were very difficult for our parents to access.
However, the constant connectivity that technology provide can also be a double-edged sword, here’s how:
- Many children are now exposed to smartphones, tabs, and TV from a very early stage and this screen time exposure has led to concerns about the impact on a child’s development. Research shows a direct negative correlation between screen time and development in speech, cognitive and socio-emotional intelligence in babies. If not checked timely, it can go to very serious levels and can be a lifelong issue.
- Nutrition has also been impacted in babies due to screen-led feeding where parents use screens to overfeed babies. This not only results in overfeeding but also reduce the ability to digest food as saliva is hardly formed when babies are fed like this.
- While parents have a plethora of information available, it can also be overwhelming. With so many different opinions and strategies out there, it can be hard for parents to know what advice to follow. Additionally, some parents may feel pressure to constantly be researching and learning in order to be the best possible parent, which can be exhausting and time-consuming.
- Increased monitoring can also be a source of tension between parents and children. Children may feel like they are constantly being watched and have no privacy, while parents may feel like they need to constantly monitor their children to keep them safe. Finding a balance can be a challenge.
- While parents like to share their kid’s progress and life over the internet, these digital platforms can also create new challenges of cyberbullying, online predators, and other risks for many parents.
In conclusion, technology has had a profound impact on modern parenting. While it has made some aspects of parenting very easy and scientific, it also puts kids at risk in multiple ways. Unfortunately, the benefits of technology are optional as they need parents to opt actively for them, while the negative impacts can happen when parents turn a blind eye to the precautions that need to be taken while using.
– Contributed By Birma Ram, Founder, BabyG app
