The use of mobile devices to calm young children creates longer term issues

From a study by University of Michigan and an interview with Dr Leonard Sax, psychologist

Take this example. A mother brings her three-year-old into the doctor's waiting room to be seen. The three-year-old doesn't feel well. He is irritable and whiny. She gives him her own smartphone, which is playing a SpongeBob SquarePants episode. The boy visibly relaxes, staring at the screen.

Is the use of mobile devices to calm young children’s emotions and behaviour associated with long-term development difficulties?

Researchers at the University of Michigan studied children 3, 4, and 5 years of age. Some parents often gave their children a screen of some kind to help the child calm down. Other parents never did that. Still other parents did it sometimes, but not all the time. The researchers then followed each child over six months time to see what effect, if any, the use of devices had on the child's emotional reactivity (reacting impulsively when faced with a perceived threat).

The results: the more often parents gave the child a smartphone to calm the child down, the more likely the child was subsequently - 3 or 6 months later - to be irritable and emotionally hyperreactive. The authors of the study concluded that when kids are stressed, and parents put a screen in front of them, children aren't learning how to deal with stress; they are just distracted by the screen.

The parents who took handheld electronics away from their children always report a significant decrease in problem behaviours: reduction in tantrums, decrease in physical and verbal aggression, increase in emotional regulation, decrease in sleeping problems, increase in ability to engage with others, increase in contentment, etc. Sadly, less than half of the parents follow that advice. The only reason researchers know that parents have followed through on that treatment recommendation is the drastic change observed in their child’s behaviour. They have never had a family that followed through on the three-week removal of handheld electronics say they regret the process or express an increase in problem behaviours.

The parents may lie about taking the phone away, but children are extremely honest. They complain that their electronics are taken away if they were. If the parents say they have removed electronics [but didn't], the child almost always tells the truth when the parents are not in the room. The child often explains that one parent still gives permission to play or that the parents want to "look good" in front of the questioner. Some children even do this when their parents are still in the room.

Something to share with parents and toddlers groups?

From a study by University of Michigan and an inte, 11/06/2024

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
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Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

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What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Livewires (3-7 years)
Encounter (7-11 years)
Katalyst (11-15 years)
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Night Shelter
Foodbank

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

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Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


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We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

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