5 Tips to Reduce Screen Fatigue during Online School
Our kids are spending more time in front of the screen than before due to online school and the pandemic. There seems to be no break from technology either when they are in the synchronous classroom or taking a break from studies and are on their video games. Screen times have increased to 80% among kids in the past few months since the pandemic outbreak. There are increased level of complaints of headaches, eye strain and redness, stomachaches, and what not by the kids due to spending and leading a sedentary lifestyle almost like an adult in the IT profession. These are all signs of screen fatigue which are kids are facing at their tender age. There are few things that we can do as parents and caretakers to reduce that fatigue among our kids.
Five Tips to reduce screen fatigue among kids
1.Set Boundaries: Reduce screen time for the entertainment of video games to be no more than half an hour per day after eight hours of school. Make playing outside for 20 minutes to an hour mandatory depending on the weather. Put away the phones and tablets etc. an hour before going to sleep in a common area.
2.Technology and Hardware: Make sure that screen brightness is reduced and students are sitting in a properly lit up room. The bright light from the screen often tires the eyes more if the surrounding area is dark. Make sure that there is a table lamp on your left side and lighting the background of the screen rather than one facing your eyes. There are antiglare screens also which can be placed to reduce the eye strain and fatigue.
3.Study space: Study at a table and a chair with a Computer screen at an arm’s length rather than sitting with a laptop. The eyes downcast at the laptop is not recommended. The screen of the device should be at the eye level of the student and should not super close to the student.
4. 20-20-20: An amazing rule that helps keep eyes less strained and helps eye fatigue. Teach your kids to take eye breaks every 20 minutes by looking at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can be done while still being in a synchronous class. Make sure that your child sees an optometrist for a full eye exam periodically. Practicing eye yoga also helps students beat eye fatigue. Using saline drops also eases the eye dryness caused by staring into the screen for a long time.
5.Diet Changes: Make sure your student is having at least eight glasses of water. It helps in reducing eye dryness and headaches among young adults. Eye supplements and fruits always help in keeping the eyes healthy.
Hopefully, these tips will help you relieve and reduce the screen fatigue that we see among our kids.