Have you ever thought about your kids’ dependence on technology and how it affects their social life? Lack of social skills in kids is a serious problem as it hinders their capacity to lead a wholesome life. Imagine your kid standing in the playground, struggling to approach other kids or start a conversation. It is a terrifying sight, indeed.
Parents who wish to help their kids overcome the lack of social skills must comprehend how profoundly it impacts their ability to lead healthy lives, and parental control apps can help.
How Does Lack of Social Skills Impacts Kids’ Ability to Lead A Normal Life?
Kids who are always busy with digital devices, play alone, avoid gatherings, or seem indifferent to social activities face a high risk of developing social anxiety or other psychological issues. Parental control apps are an excellent way of helping kids overcome this hurdle. Though several reasons contribute to the lack of social skills in kids, a few major ones are as follows.
Hesitation & Shyness: Some kids are naturally shy or hesitant, while others get intimidated and develop hesitation over time. These characteristics can severely hinder your kids’ social life if left unattended. Kids gradually begin to find comfort in isolation, which affects their ability to form stable relationships as adults.
Fear of Becoming an Outcast: Lack of social skills in kids also stems from the fear of being singled out. Seeking acceptance and fitting in are engraved in the human psyche. Kids who lack confidence or aren’t comfortable in their skin often develop the fear of getting dejected. The thought of getting rejected prevents them from taking the initiative.
Lack of Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is key to forming stronger and deeper connections. People who know how to read emotions succeed in every aspect of their lives. It is imperative for parents to teach their young ones the art of understanding emotions.
Knowing when to comfort someone who is upset, lending a helping hand to others in need, showing sympathy/empathy, and even saying something as small as sorry or thank you play a key role in forming better social skills.
Low Self-esteem: Lack of social skills also occurs in the absence of self-acceptance. Kids with low self-esteem often suffer in silence. They struggle to accept their persona and view themselves through the lens of social standards. Low self-esteem could also stem from an unstable family environment.
Instability in Family Environment: Constant bickering, arguments, and fights in the house form an unstable environment for kids. Separation of parents or the death of a loved one also affects kids’ mental health. That could also be why kids seek isolation or comfort in digital media and screens.
It is tough to figure out whether kids are struggling with social skills, especially since we live in the digital age where everyone prefers to keep the company of screens over actual human beings. With that in mind, parents must evaluate their kids’ social skills and use parental control apps to help them overcome this obstacle if it exists.
Help Kids Overcome Lack of Social Skills
While the lack of social skills is alarming, parents can help their kids improve their social interactions. Even small things like eye contact or a handshake can help your kids in the long run. Here are a few ways you can help your kids overcome their shortcomings.
Role Play: Kids love to play, so why not play with them? You can invent a game of imagination. For instance, you and your kids can be explorers traveling through space and time. You can help them introduce their character to another player and have a dialogue/ conversation. It can help them overcome their shyness or hesitation to speak up.
Teach Self-Acceptance: In a world ruled by the internet, it is impossible to shield your kids from the negative influence of social media. The unrealistic body standards continue to spiral out of hand. Teaching kids how to accept their personalities and love themselves has become crucial. Parents must teach them how to see the real beauty that lies in a person’s behavior and not in their outer appearance.
Introduce Emotions: Teaching kids about emotions at an early age helps ground their personalities. Introducing basic etiquette, like saying thank you or sorry, can get the ball rolling. Parents must educate kids about the emotions attached to words. For example, we say thank you for indicating gratitude and sorry to apologize.
Instill Confidence: Stooping shoulders, constantly shaking legs, fidgeting, etc., all depict anxiety and lack of confidence. Help kids improve their body language. You can show them how to straighten their back and uphold a proper body posture that exudes confidence. Your kids can also overcome their lack of social skills by maintaining eye contact while talking or listening to someone else talk.
Provide Stable Environment: Kids thrive in a stable and happy environment. Parents must pay special attention to kids who always stay busy with digital devices. Leading an unhealthy digital life can also contribute to the lack of social skills in the real world. Parents must be aware of what goes on in their kids’ online lives to help them in time. For instance, if kids face cyberbullying alone, it can cause them to seek isolation.
Interacting with people might seem scary for young kids, while interaction with digital devices is engaging, fun, and even addictive. It is something they can control. But, when kids get hooked and forget the world, parents must help them out of this jam. Parental control apps offer a perfect solution to this problem.
How Can Parental Control Apps Help?
Countless parents love FamilyTime parental control because they offer features, such as Screen Time Limit, App Blocker, Internet Filter, Call & Text Monitoring, Social Media Monitoring, Screen Time Schedule, Panic Button, Location Tracking, and a whole lot more.
The screen time limit feature particularly helps parents in getting their kids to put down their devices. It enables parents to provide more opportunities for social interactions with their kids. Therefore, parents can use it to help their kids overcome their lack of social skills.
