Technology has transformed how we live and communicate, making television, mobile phones, computers, tablets and social media part of everyday life.
Growing up in the early 1990s, I remember when only a few families owned televisions.
Neighbours gathered outside their windows, and generous families sometimes brought sets outside to share programmes such as Akan Drama, Inspector Bediako, By the Fireside and Captain Planet. Ghana Television, now GTV, was then the country’s only station.
Today, many households own multiple television sets, and children can access more information and entertainment in a day than we could have imagined.
Technology offers benefits, including education, communication, entrepreneurship, creativity and access to information. Its importance cannot be over-emphasized.
However, every advancement brings responsibilities.
Parents return home exhausted or remain mentally occupied with work, business and social media, leaving less time for family interaction.
Consequently, screens increasingly entertain and educate children.
Television becomes the babysitter, smartphones the companion, tablets the playmate and video games the preferred recreation.
Parents sometimes hand over devices without knowing what their children watch, whom they contact or what they encounter.
The internet is an incredible resource, but it is not a playground without boundaries.
Children may encounter sexual content, cyberbullying, scams, harmful challenges, dangerous strangers and exploitation, including betting.
UNICEF Ghana has highlighted online risks and children’s difficulties discussing them with caregivers.
Parental involvement, age-appropriate platforms, privacy settings and open communication are essential.
Problem
The problem is not access alone, but access without supervision and guidance.
Children may encounter things they do not understand and feel afraid or embarrassed to discuss.
A quiet child in a bedroom is not necessarily safe.
We must also pay attention to screen time.
Not every minute spent on a device is harmful. Researching a school assignment differs from scrolling through social media or playing games for hours.
The purpose, content, timing and duration of screen use matter.
The World Health Organisation recommends limiting sedentary screen time and prioritising physical activity, sleep, reading and play.
For children aged three to four, it recommends no more than one hour daily, with less being better.
Evidence linking screen use to academic outcomes varies by activity and does not show that all screen use causes poor performance.
Parents should ask more than, “How many hours is my child on the phone?”
What are they watching?
Whom are they communicating with? Is the phone affecting sleep, schoolwork, family interaction or chores?
These questions matter more than time alone.
We must not outsource parenting to technology.
A smartphone cannot teach values, and television cannot instill responsibility.
TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and video games cannot replace parental wisdom, discipline and affection.
Children need our presence, conversations, correction, encouragement, boundaries and example.
Port
Children will not confide in us unless they feel safe speaking.
If they encounter disturbing material, parents should be their first point of call, not their peers.
Avoid responding only with anger or punishment.
Establish family rules, discuss online interactions and encourage children to report troubling experiences to a trusted adult.
Parental controls and content filters help, but are insufficient.
The American Academy of Paediatrics emphasises combining them with communication, family rules and guidance.
Teach children to protect personal information, be cautious with strangers, recognise inappropriate content and understand that not everything online is true.
Let us give children more than screens.
Our childhood included reading, helping at home, outdoor games, visiting friends, church, community activities and family conversations.
We need not romanticsze the past, but can preserve its lessons.
Encourage children to do chores, read, play with others, learn practical skills and join family, religious and community activities. Face-to-face interaction develops social skills.
Biblical teachings
Many of us were raised with biblical teachings and values such as honesty, discipline, respect, compassion, hard work and responsibility.
Proverbs 22:6 reminds us: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
This captures the responsibility of parenthood.
Children are shaped by their homes, schools, churches, communities, peers and, increasingly, the digital world.
If we do not help shape them, algorithms designed to keep them watching, scrolling and clicking may do so. Let us reclaim our children’s time.
Eat together, listen, know their friends, understand their online platforms and set boundaries.
Encourage reading, exercise, chores, creativity and social interaction.
Above all, build relationships that make children comfortable seeking help.
Technology is not going away, and children should not be denied its benefits.
Our task is to raise children who use it wisely, safely and responsibly.
The best investment in their future is not the latest smartphone, expensive tablet or fastest internet connection, but our time, attention, guidance, love and values.
One day, our children will take our place.
What kind of people are we preparing them to become?
May God continue to bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.
The writer is a freelancer based in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality in the Western Region of Ghana.
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