Social-media and smart devices are playing crucial roles in our lives these days. Right from the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed, we are dependent largely on these things. Refraining from digital devices for few days may seem impossible for many of us but you must really consider the advantages before completely ignoring the idea.
These days, everybody is on social media and there are like millions of pages and websites that provide parenting advice. Just type a keyword and you get literally a thousand information on that topic. Everybody wants to share their experience and ideas on the internet but we never know which is authentic and real.
As a first time parent, we all have this uncontrollable tendency to google often to know if everything is all right with our little one. Even a small burp may scare us and the next second we get this urge to search on google to know if the sound was normal. If you think googling about your child is going to help, then I am sorry. It’s going to bring you more stress than ever because none of the information is true for your case unless you clarify it with your paediatrician or an expert.
I am not judging anyone here but I personally completely stay away from all those Pinterest DIYs, posts on activity worksheets, learning kits, writing practice etc for very small kids. I have tried being that mom but I eventually ended up pressuring myself and my little one. I uninstalled certain apps and unfollowed certain IG profiles that I felt were instilling mom-guilt in me deeply without me even realising. (I do agree some of them are really beneficial for parents with older kids).
On top of there are posts from parents that talk about their children’s unrealistic milestone achievements. This may cause unnecessary worries. When I understood that my two and half year old is just too young to keep up with a schedule and learn accordingly, I just decided to go with the flow. That made things easier for her and she started picking up things faster.
The parenting groups and related pages on social media are of great support at times but I have seen many parents asking suggestions to fellow parents in the group for serious health issues too. This kind of dependency on social media is just too dangerous and there’s a reason why doctors and other experts exist.
Social media and smart devices have for sure changed the way we bring up our kids. They have been super helpful too in certain times. But the problem is, social media provide so many superfluous and unauthentic information on parenting. Taking a break from them is one of the best ways to keep tension and anxiety at bay. Do leave your answer in the comments for how often you digital- detox and also do share why you do it too.
Mommy Me 
I enjoyed your post. You are correct that looking up medical advice online can cause more stress. I went down that road with my son who had allergies and severe asthma. It definitely made me more worried rather than helping. It’s best to talk to a doctor.
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Omg! I clearly get you! I have done that before too and have undergone so much stress!
And am glad you enjoyed reading this post!
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I agree! There is a lot of pressure in the social media space towards mothers. It can be easy to think that everyone else has everything figured out and perfect because their feed looks “flawless” when in reality, social media distorts reality. True – there are many accounts that are authentic and honest and do show the flops as well as triumphs, but that is the exception. I have definitely Googled medical symptoms but I’ve never relied on a blog post or social media post as the authority. I have most of my phone’s apps, including all social media apps, locked on Sundays so that I can have a day without it. However, I don’t usually spend much time each day scrolling social feeds anyway. And I’d I do, I’m very careful about who I follow. I follow people who inspire me but who’s posts don’t trigger me into thinking I’m a failure.
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First of all, thanks so much for taking time to read this article and for the comment. Finding a genuine social media page to follow is so difficult these days because most of the accounts are showing us a life that’s super fake and impossible for a normal human being. Like their house is super clean 24/7, their kids are always well behaved, they always keep traveling or visiting friends etc. This builds so much pressure for new moms who try to find solutions for actual problems online.
That being said, I would love to follow some super real SM accounts. Please suggest me.
Locking all apps once in a week is really an awesome idea and I think I could follow that!
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I usually try to get out of the house as much as possible, or get a bunch of books from the library that are interesting to read. This way, I’m on my phone less in general and that is usually my “detox” from phone.
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Hey! Thanks for your valuable comment! It’s so good to get out of the house often to revive ourselves! Reading is also a great diversion from technology! I love doing these things too. If you have more ideas to limit the usage of technology, do share!! I would love to read!
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OMG YES! Digital detox is so necessary. It’s so hard to not to jump on google to look up things that can either help us or break us.
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Ha ha so true! You never know what’s gonna pop up when you hit that ‘search ‘ button!
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