One of the concerning habit which we see in kids is misuse of media, meaning that they watch a lot of media( Youtube shorts, movies, shows etc) when they need a break.
Recently there was family get together and the kids' expected, friends did not show up. In such situation when we were kids I remember we used to look around, find other kids playing and join them. But now the kids go restless, annoyed, & angry and they silently or violently grab their parent's phone and start watching youtube for hours, when confronted the excuse kids give is, "I am bored." The after effects of these reactions and habits impair kids badly with low energy levels, because of their over exertion.
Parents say "My kid(s) do this only when they don’t have company and that's ok or "Other kids do it more often than my kid(s). Parents fall for such justification that kids give and it seems fair enough for most of the parents.
First kids should always have media time irrespective of situation that they are bored or not. They should also have boundaries about the topics(Reels/shorts are random and they jump into various areas which cause the young minds to be restless and unsatisfied) they can watch. The media time for our kids is 20 minutes max and kids are happy as they always can override and parents should be available for fair conversation to help them overcome any situation. If my kids say we are bored, I offer them possible options where last option being media and they always pick more exciting options than media, the problem here is parents also think that media is the only option.
Second, wasting time when bored is not a wise choice, you can use it to be more constructive, of course for 10 to 20 minutes kids can watch media based on the media time limit (kid already spent that day). Parents should not allow kids to dwell on the thought of boring. There is nothing like boring, it’s a thought or phrase that parents have given to their kids unknowingly .
I got a chance to work with a kid who was bored and asked him if has nothing to learn and knows every thing. He said No, I asked him to plan for such situation and have a list of things that he wants to learn and later realized this kid has an amazing pencil sketch skill and is not finding time to perceive that skill, so I gifted him a pencil sketch kit, which he can carry anywhere and do sketch in such situations. Just as great parents, which you are, if you provide such opportunities, kids will be more productive and skilled and will never choose media as the only option. Everyone around with same interests will also try to follow and we can build a skillful generation. If as an outsider, I can find one such skill I am sure as a parent you will find 100 such things that your kid is good at or want to work on. Hope you like my dimension and use small opportunities to get the brightest talents of our kids into action.
Over weekend at leisure, work with kids and create exciting to do list for your kids based on their interest and strengths. Example : Improve Reading Skills. Improve writing Skills, Learn Cartwheels, improve drawing skills or learn states and capitals etc.