Children participate in basketball class at Ho Chi Minh City Children's House during the summer - Photo: THANH HIEP
This makes it easy for children to become addicted to social networks, where there is a lot of potentially harmful content due to lack of information censorship, causing both health and psychological consequences.
Health and psychological risks
According to Master of Psychology Nguyen Thi Anh Thu - lecturer at the Faculty ofEducation, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, one of the reasons why children use their phones so often during the summer vacation is because they want to relax and reward themselves after a hard year of studying.
In particular, the content on social networks today is designed to be attractive, especially short videos that can easily make children indulge. In addition, the need to connect with friends and the fear of missing out (FOMO) also contributes to children using their phones more.
Similarly, Master of Psychology Nguyen Ngoc Vui - lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University - commented that social networks are a virtual world where people share and receive information. However, this information is often "made up" so that children easily misunderstand that it is reality.
Spending too much time in the virtual world reduces children's ability to interact in real life. It is not uncommon for children to text while eating, or eat quickly to get back to their phones.
In particular, consuming too many fast-paced videos reduces children's ability to think slowly, gradually loses the ability to debate and becomes passive in the face of information. Meanwhile, children do not have the ability to select, debate and protect themselves from harmful content.
Learn how to use social media safely
According to psychologist Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, to limit this situation, parents should first discuss with their children to come up with specific agreements. When giving the right to contribute opinions on issues related to themselves, children will have a higher responsibility and commitment in implementation. In addition, parents can refer to learning and entertainment applications, which help children absorb knowledge in a gentle way and make using the phone more useful and oriented.
In addition, to help children self-regulate their social media usage, parents need to simultaneously influence their awareness, attitude and behavior. First of all, children need to be provided with clear information about the harmful effects of phone abuse, including health effects, risk of game addiction, and lack of online safety...
Parents should have an honest conversation, making it clear that limiting phone use is for the child's benefit, not an imposition. Finally, in terms of behavior, it is necessary to guide children on how to use social media safely, while encouraging them to make commitments to appropriate use and self-monitoring.
Psychologist Nguyen Ngoc Vui believes that to help children have a healthy and meaningful summer, parents should let their children participate in summer courses on life skills, sports or reputable summer activities.
Therefore, if possible, the whole family should participate in a common activity such as jogging, swimming, or learning a sport. This not only improves health but also helps to strengthen the connection and communication between parents and children.
With the generation gap, it's important to find activities that work for the whole family. Quality time together will help children realize that the real world can be just as fun and fulfilling as the online world.
Give your child summer to grow up
Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Bao Dung - founder of Ibsen Small Theater - believes that summer is the ideal time for children to develop life skills. Instead of letting children immerse themselves in electronic devices, parents can encourage them to participate in folk games at home such as Chinese checkers, chess, and Chinese checkers... This helps children practice logical thinking, strategies, and develop their intelligence naturally.
Another activity worth trying is watching one to two hour long movies with your children. After each movie, parents and children can discuss and analyze the content, characters, situations, etc., helping children form the habit of critical thinking and daring to express their personal opinions. Watching in-depth content that requires patience, such as long movies, is also a way for children to escape the trend of consuming instant information often seen on TikTok or Facebook.
Especially if possible, parents should also spend time taking their children out to explore the world around them. Experiences such as letting children buy their own bus tickets, find their way using Google Maps, and use public transport such as the metro or waterbus under gentle supervision will help children practice independence and calmly handle situations when going out without worrying or panicking if an incident occurs.
Quality time with your child
Another way to teach your child to be an adult is to teach them how to manage their money. Parents can give their children a small amount of money and let them decide whether to participate in an activity they like. For example, whether they want to go to the movies or eat ice cream, which will help them learn how to balance their needs and budget, an important skill for the future.
"Children should be raised in accordance with each stage of their development. The important thing is not to completely prohibitive, but parents need to proactively create quality time with their children," Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Bao Dung emphasized.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giup-con-cai-dien-thoai-20250704102929137.htm
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