as the use of technology and the internet sees an inevitable rise amongst the younger generation most parents are faced with a pertinent question how can they handle their kids technology usage at home especially during a pandemic when children are home bound and compelled to use elearning platforms for studying parents are grappling with the issue of how many hours their child should be spending in front of a screen before it starts becoming counterproductive according to psychologists around the world a few early signs can go miles in helping parents identify if their child is beginning to develop an unhealthy relationship with technology1 replaces offline activities they used to enjoy like playing exercising etc with more screen time 2 experiences negative emotions after screen time that may happen because theyre feeling bullied or are unhappy as a result of spending a lot of time on social media or playing violent games etc3 gives more time to devices compromising on sleep and inperson interactions or family timeto avoid a situation that goes out of control the following basic parenting guidelines can help parents establish ground rules right from the time their kids begin using technology set family rulesestablishing rules like nobody should be on their devices two hours before bedtime and during meal times can make kids aware that technology usage must not happen at the expense of time for physical activity and connecting with real people similarly setting up screenfree zones like no mobile devices computers and tvs in the dining room or bedrooms is a great way to ensure everyone gets tech breaks and family bonding time moreover children should participate in formulating house rules because they are less likely to complain if they have a role in creating and establishing them practice what you preachadults owing to their busy work schedules often check their phones regularly or are up late working and surfing the internet on their phones and computers child psychologists are of the opinion that parents must emulate the habits they want their children to pick up be involvedscreen time shouldnt always mean alone time coviewing coplaying and coengaging with children when they are using screens encourages social interactions bonding and learning it also helps parents vet the content kids are accessing and at the same time be updated about new technologies by learning from the techsavvy generation follow the 202020 rule eye doctors advise not just kids but everyone to practice the 202020 rule when using computers gadgets and smartphones this means that the user should take a break every 20 minutes and focus on an object that is 20feet away for 20 seconds this helps eyes relax and retain moisture from staring at screens for a long period of time avoid dim lightinganother important piece of advice for parents and children alike is to not use gadgets under poor lighting it could result in damaged eye nerves which may develop serious vision problems children therefore must be encouraged to use gadgets