Educationist Warns Against Excessive Screen Time Among Children
The Head of School, Lyceum Schools, Abeokuta, Moureen Ola-William, has warned about the dangers of excessive screen time among children.
She said parents and guardians must see the importance of balancing screen time and monitoring online activity to ensure children’s safety and well-being.
Ola-William spoke on Friday during the school’s 12th-year anniversary and graduation ceremony themed, “Global Reach Within Local Realities” held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
Worried about the high spate of moral decadence in the society, the School Head noted that such societal deficiency can be curbed through the collective efforts of parents and teachers in controlling screen time among children.
“It has disadvantages, and the disadvantages are numerous. What we can do is train the children and control the screen time. We cannot stop them from using it,” Ola-William said.
In her words, “Children are watching pornography online these days, so parents need to spy on their children and see what they are watching online.”
Ola-William encouraged parents to take an active role in ensuring their children’s online safety and promoting responsible screen use habits.
Ola-William cited research warning against the harmful effects of prolonged screen time, particularly for children.
“Even researchers have said that it is a terrible thing for children to watch TV for two to three hours every day,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the school, Adeyinka Ola-William, has advised schools to adopt policies and implement measures and regulations that will prevent sexual abuse in learning environments.
Adeyinka Ola-William warned that the threat is not unique to Nigeria and advised educational institutions to set boundaries on teachers’ interaction with students.
The State Commissioner for Education, Abayomi Arigbabu, who was represented by Mrs. Mujidat Aigoro, Zonal Educational Officer, Abeokuta South Local Government Area, stated that the school’s activities have enabled teaching to meet global standards.
“The theme of this year’s anniversary, Global Reach Within Local Realities, is timely, especially at this period when it has been identified all over the world that youth are the foundation of a positive picture of any society.
“Their energies, creativity, characters, and orientations define the pace of economic development, socio-political attainment, security, and stability of a nation and by extension, the world,” the commissioner said.
