What Is the 3-T Rule That Protects Children from Digital Obesity?

What is the 3 T Rule That Rescues Children from Digital Obesity? With the pandemic came remote education and increased time spent at home, leading to greater technology and screen usage among children. According to information compiled by the Sabri Ülker Foundation, excessive use of digital devices such as smartphones creates Digital Addiction and leads to Digital Obesity. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu from Hacettepe University's Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology emphasizes that Digital Obesity is one of the most destructive effects of the current period, and calls on parents to learn to become "Digital Parents." Seferoğlu recommends the 3 "T" and 3 "ET" rules as a solution for families. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu from Hacettepe University's Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, who notes that destructive effects related to increased digitalization and technology use during the pandemic are particularly observed in children, made the following comments regarding digital addiction: "This type of addiction is a concept that has been the subject of intense discussion in recent years. Individuals who experience problems in limiting internet use are observed to face negative consequences, much like those addicted to alcohol and drugs. Internet addiction can be defined as an individual's inability to control internet use, and experiencing problems in work, family, and social life due to excessive use," he said. Seferoğlu notes that they have observed that one of the most prominent characteristics of digital obesity is "hygiene deficiency," and that due to priority being given to the area of addiction, routine cleaning habits such as bathing, brushing teeth, and tidying one's room are given less attention. Seferoğlu states that the most frequently encountered behaviors of digitally obese individuals are decreased interest in offline activities and social life, difficulty distancing from technology, breaking connection, struggling to stay away from screens, maintaining multiple social media accounts, editing their profiles to present themselves differently from reality, taking numerous selfies and making edits to those photos, keeping rather than deleting these photos, constantly downloading new applications to their devices, feeling irritability and deprivation when separated from devices, continuing use despite negative consequences at school, work, or in personal relationships, and thinking about past technological activities or making future plans even during non-technological or offline activities.

Parents Need to Be Educated

According to Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu, children's screen time turning into addiction can cause problems in family and social life. Rather than keeping children completely away from digital life, they should be guided according to opportunities in this field. Digital transformation is a reality of our lives, therefore it is necessary to guide children, communicate openly with them, inform them about certain situations that could harm them, direct them, and in the same way be digital parents. Just as excessive calorie consumption beyond the body's needs causes obesity, similarly loading the mind with more information and notifications than it can handle can cause digital obesity. Seferoğlu recommends the following to both parents and children.

Digital Diet List:

• Spacing out usage (as with meals) over longer intervals
• Turning off wireless networks at home during certain hours
• Disabling notifications on devices being used
• Switching to night mode on smartphones
• Setting realistic targets for reducing digital technology usage time
• Gradually reducing usage time
• Research shows that gradual behavior change has a higher likelihood of success. If overly ambitious targets are set at the beginning of the process, failure is more likely. As a result, a feeling of "I will never be able to do this" may occur.

What Parents Can Do:

Three "T" Detox

• Television
• Tablet
• Telephone

Three "ET" Rule

• Monitor (Kontrol ET)
• Accompany (Eşlik ET)
• Converse (Sohbet ET)

 

What Can Families Do Together?

• Walking.
• Sports.
• Spending time with friends.
• Spending time in nature.
• Reading books.
• Listening to music.
• Joining student clubs.
• Going to theatre and cinema.
• Using printed materials in addition to fully electronic materials.