Some parents now ask nannies to put pen to paper to ban themselves from making use of their mobile phones for private reasons while they go about their duties. What is even popular today is other moms exposing the nannies by sharing pictures of them using their devices. That might be a bit interfering but every mom and dad would be doing the right thing to ensure those in charge of taking care of their kids accept the limits of phone use before they get employed.
The major reason to ensure this agreement is in place is so these caregivers do not engage their phones when they should be watching over the children. The distractions that come with these mobile phones will not only take away their attention away from the kids, they can also be quite harmful.
Centers for Disease Control recently said accidents that inflict injuries on kids below 5 years increased by 10 percent between 2006-2007 and 2011-2012. Another study by researcher Craig Palsson, from Yale University, discovered that as the iPhone 3G network widened its reach to new cities during those years I listed, emergency room visits among kids below 5 skyrocketed. This was not by chance, according to Craig, who said- “the expansion of smartphones can explain almost the entire increase in child injuries.”
Moms and Dads also have to instruct their nannies to watch out for the way the kids they are to take care of using their mobile devices. Many parents are taking curbing the number of time kids can spend with screens seriously. Some even go as far as banning these phones, tabs, PCs altogether. Studies carried out over the last year have discovered that the time kids spend with these devices has devastating repercussions. For instance, a study released in The Lancet in September 2018 discovered that kids between 8 to 11 years, who use more than 120 minutes daily with screens have reduced ability to perform various mental activities that are related to learning and problem-solving. A November 2017 report released in Clinical Psychological Science also stated that teenagers that spend excess time with their phones on social media are prone to suicide attempts and depression.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recently shared directions on how much time kids of several ages should be afforded on devices. They advised allowing zero minutes. I mean, they said they should be allowed no time whatsoever. They only suggested video chats for kids below 18 months and 60 minutes daily, at most, for quality programming for kids aged 2-5. Parents must also be firm with nannies about if the kids may use screens, for how long and for what reason.
As I wrap up, parents have to clearly state if it is fine for nannies to share pictures or stories about their children. Some moms do not fancy photos of their kids on the internet because of privacy issues, like fears of what would follow with drastic boosts in facial-recognition tech. Some dads just do not want the attention that trails humiliating images or tales of their children kept in several memories for future purposes. Some others don’t just like some aspects of their daily lives to be shown to the public, aspects like their pictures of the interiors of their houses, some people will not agree with anyone sharing that view with complete strangers or for security purposes. So, parents must ensure this is ironed out.
Those moms that rat out nannies that use their phones to their owners might have not taken the right step per se, but they are correct on one thing, every mom and dad must ensure a social media contract or at the very least, an agreement, takes place with the people that cater for their kids while they are away.
