The balancing act

Discover easy, fun ways to balance gadgets and family togetherness

- Team ParentCircle

While playing chess with his 9-year-old daughter, Ravi hears a beep.

It’s his Diwali day off, but he’s receiving emails from his clients in London. He figures that sending a quick reply wouldnt take too long and starts typing on his phone. “Papa, look here!” his daughter calls out. She's waiting for him to make his next move. Distracted, he moves his pawn, even as he receives another notification. By the time he looks up again, his daughter’s gone...

Upon logging off for the day, Sandhya steps out of her home office and braces herself for her second work shift. She has to prepare dinner, get her children to eat, and put them to bed. She also has a deadline to meet—she promised herself she would finish her work after the children had gone to bed. She selects some videos on the iPad and allows her children to watch them, while she tackles her pending tasks.

Welcome to family life in the digital age. Nothing has reshaped our communication, relationships, and lives more than technology in the 21st century.

Finding balance matters

Let's examine how to balance screen time and family time, allowing us to benefit from technology while minimizing its negative impact.

that can block your access to social media websites for a specified period of time. e Turning off the WiFi at home at 10 p.m. every night.