A parent recently shared that her toddler nearly swallowed a screw when she was doing housework. She believes that giving him a phone will keep him occupied and prevent him from getting into dangerous situations. She is therefore less concerned about the negative effects of excessive screentime.
In a now viral TikTok video by "serene" @serenolovelife, user "Leediyya" had commented "if no screen, then when im cleaning the hse and my toddler picks up all the weird stuff he can find and swallows it, then how can la? Sometimes have to prioritise immediate safety over screentime effects". "Leediyaa" was responding to "serene"'s video on the new MOH guidelines on limiting screentime for children below 12 years old. She was not the only parent who expressed outrage at the new guidelines.
We must give them screentime, we are too busy.
Some parents, such as "新加坡哥" had questioned MOH: “You want to help me take care my house instead while I'm busy?”. Meanwhile, “Hanis KJ” explained that she needed more screentime for her “3 yo daughter as i need to do house chores ler...” In such a fast paced world like Singapore, parents indeed need all the help they can get when they care for their children.
We are the parents, the government must not interfere
Some parents also asked why these guidelines are required, or how they can be enforced. “Amaran” speculates that “when they give guidelines means Get ready,, it's gona turn into mandatory.. haha”. Another user also asked if such guidelines will be enacted into law, comparing this to the sale of chewing gum ban that was imposed in 1992.
These guidelines by MOH are not likely to be enforced by them. Thankfully, some Singaporeans had more common sense to know that the guidelines are only suggestions and not mandatory.
Besides, MOH only advised parents to reduce screentime and not deny the children of it entirely. Is giving your child more screentime the only way to keep them engaged? If previous generations managed to cope just fine without giving their children screentime, modern parents could try more creative ways of engaging their child instead of taking the easy way out.
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