# How can we help with the proper use of new technologies? > Many parents understandably have a computer at home and internet access so that their children can learn, since this is a great educational resource. But... - **Author:** eugenia-olego · **Category:** Adultos - **Published:** 2017-10-26 · **Updated:** 2020-04-23 - **URL:** https://elteuespai.com/en/how-can-we-help-proper-use-new-technologies/ - _Translation pending clinical review._ --- ## New technologies in children's and adolescents' free time **Many parents understandably have a computer at home and internet access so that their children can learn, since this is a great educational resource**. But little by little, minors **do not use the internet only to help with school activities or to look for information, but rather minors use it, above all, to chat with friends and strangers and to play with their peers over the networks.** Furthermore, the use of computers and the internet is always related to children's and adolescents' free time, although we must also take into account the use of television, tablets, video games and video consoles, among others. They tend to spend hours and hours connected to the networks and, on the contrary, they stop doing other activities. For all these reasons it is important that **we appreciate that excesses, in all their forms, can be harmful and that a balance must be sought** between what the parents want, what the children want and, above all, their needs in the educational and personal sphere. ## Guidelines for seeking a balance **SOME GUIDELINES FOR SEEKING A BALANCE** So that parents can help seek a balance and provide a proper upbringing, the guidelines would be: - **You should not prohibit the connection or the use of the computer or the internet, but rather regulate its connection**. New technologies are a good tool and you must learn to use them properly. - We recommend **setting a daily connection time** and therefore regulating the use of the computer and the internet, and that the minor respects it. - Let them **connect once they have fulfilled their obligations**: homework, extracurricular activities, household responsibilities, among others. - **Offer alternatives for leisure time** and let them choose which ones they want to do. **It is recommended that the computer be in a common room of the home** and that it be within everyone's reach, so that we can know what our child is doing and how they use it. ## Benefits of its use **BENEFITS OF ITS USE** ![learning with a tablet](/images/blog/2017/10/aprendiendo-tablet-300x200.webp)The use of new technologies, if used in moderation, can have numerous benefits, such as for example: - **They foster reasoning**, as for example in strategy games. - **They improve spatial orientation**: there are three-dimensional games such as some animated ones. - They help with **conflict resolution and decision-making**. They foster the resolution of everyday life problems and the search for solutions, such as for example simulators. - They increase the **capacity for attention**: they can favour the ability to concentrate in the face of certain stimuli. ## Risks of its excessive use **RISKS OF ITS EXCESSIVE USE** - **Isolation**. People with excessive use can isolate themselves from society by spending so many hours. - **Limiting other ways of enjoying their free time**. If they spend most of their leisure time playing on computers, they move away, even if unconsciously, from other ways of enjoying themselves, such as board games, reading or going to the cinema. - **Change of values**. Some video games transmit values such as aggressiveness and revenge, and this can influence minors. - **Reducing the relationship with family and/or friends**. A person dependent on video games can spend hours and hours "hooked" playing and may forget about people. ## The attitude of parents **THE ATTITUDE OF PARENTS** ![child lying down with an ipad and books on the floor](/images/blog/2017/10/ipad-libros-300x230.webp)Parents, as we know, **are the main educational role models for our children** and therefore we must lead by example, and for this reason we should also regulate and limit our time on new technologies and carry out other recreational and practical activities, hence other hobbies. We must **encourage our child to meet up with their classmates and friends frequently** and thus foster their social relationships. Doing extracurricular activities is advisable, and especially if these are team-based. The main thing is to assess their degree of dependence on the use of the internet, since this may be harming and hindering their relationships both with their peers and with adults and family members. It is then important to foster communication with the family, the relationship with peers and proper rest. I leave you an interesting post about how the [founder of apple raised his children without an iPad](/en/why-the-founder-of-apple-raised-his-children-without-ipad/).