Father comes up with a brilliant method to limit screen time in his house

Parenting is a tough job on all the fronts. Parents have to make a lot of calls for their children that shape their whole future and personality. Nothing can be taken lightly by them, especially things like technology. Technology has for sure opened a lot of avenues for the world but its impact on an individual's mental health has raised a lot of questions. Richard Wadsworth—who goes by @doctorwadsworth on TikTok—has formulated a task list in his house that aims to regulate screen time for his children. The method has been immensely successful and has also given some added benefits. 

The video begins with the father taking the camera to his son's room and showing him weight lifting. Wadsworth mentions how his son has been up since 6.30 in the morning to complete his exercise. He then pans the camera towards the thing that started it all. "Let me show you kind of where this started. This right here," he said while pointing to a task list. The list showcases the tasks the children need to do in order to get their screen time. Some of the items in the list include "Clean your room," "Do your chores," "Homework done," "Exercised," "Ready for next day," "toilets" and "laundry." In the exercise chore, the list provides two alternatives, "One mile on treadmill or 20 minutes in other exercise." 

In his video, Wadsworth explains, "My son's chosen to do his 20 minutes of lifting weights." He has not forced this activity on his child, but it is a way for him to set a boundary when it comes to screen use. The reason his son was doing it in the first place was because "he wanted to have more time after school to play with his friend." As per their family's rules, he had to earn it by doing all the tasks in the chore list. Whenever someone has to "earn" something they automatically become careful while utilizing that privilege. It is on this principle that the father established this task list in his house and so far it has worked wonderfully.

Wadsworth ensures that these rules are firmly put in place. They keep the screens "locked away" and do not allow the kids to use them under any circumstances if they have not shown without doubt that the chores are done. The father notes that more screen time causes an "increase in depression and anxiety in teens" This strict list is a way for him to protect his children from the negative effects of technology. He explains, "We should not be giving our kids unlimited access to screens. Just as you would regulate the amount of candy and sugar that they ate, hopefully, you should also be regulating the amount of screen time that they have."

It has also provided some added benefits like children feeling more energetic and spending more time developing "good habits." Wadsworth revealed the change he noted in his son, "He had a big smile on his face. He felt better about himself." It was also a great bonding moment as the father "had an opportunity to express how proud" he was of his son. His concluding message was, "Set up some rules. Make them very clear for your kids. Put them on the fridge and. And allow the rules to be enforced."

The comment section was all praise for this method. @thorcorn wrote why it is so important to limit screen time with strict rules: "Even I’m addicted to screen. I have to tell myself to put it down all the time and I’m a grown adult. Kids definitely need this!" @chrislikewater commented on how this plan worked for them, "We implemented a similar plan, and I was surprised at how easy they took to it. It’s almost like kids need structure. What a concept!"

You can follow Richard Wadsworth (@doctorwadsworth) for more such insights on the human mind.