– No child strolls alone into an Apple store and buys an iPad or smartphone. They get it from their parents, says presenter and mother of three, Live Nelvik. Children are playing outside less than before, shows a study from earlier this year, carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Natural Sciences (NINA). Increased screen use is pointed to as one of the reasons. In February, the Norwegian Directorate of Education came up with a national recommendation on mobile-free classrooms. And in Oslo, since 1 August, mobile phones have been banned during school hours. But Nelvik will not point to mobile and screen use. Rather, she points to the parents. Presenter and mother of three, Live Nelvik. Photo: Kjetil Solhøi / news – The limits for what kind and how much screen use is also set by the parents. We have a choice and decide on our children, even if in 2024 you may get the impression of something else, says Nelvik. Want braver parents And Nelvik gets support in the claim that parents have a responsibility. – In a way, I agree with Live Nelvik, but we have to shift the responsibility from single parents to the whole of society, says media expert and author Maja Lunde to news. Recently, she published the book “Skjerm barna”, a book about children and young people’s screen use. She is concerned with raising collective awareness among parents about screen use. Media expert and author Maja Lunde recently published the book “Skjerm Barna” which deals with the use of screens by children and young people. Photo: Agnete Brun – Research shows that each one of us is afraid that the children will fall out by not having a mobile phone like everyone else, and then we give them a mobile phone before we want to, she says. The Norwegian Media Authority’s recent survey “Children and media 2024” shows that Norwegian children are getting smartphones earlier than before, and that over 7 out of 10 between the ages of 9 and 12 use social media, despite the fact that the age limit in Norway is 13. The parents must become braver to set limits, Lunde believes. – And it is much easier to make this happen if we change the focus from the individual to the collective. The author believes that parents should reduce screen time and give children the necessary downtime that can make them choose to be physical or outdoors on their own initiative. – The brain needs time off to daydream. Children need to be bored, and when you are free from digital stimuli, ideas, play and imagination arise. Boredom is a highway to the bookshelf, says the author. Maja Lunde’s three pieces of advice for parents 1. Wait as long as possible to buy digital devices for children, preferably until secondary school. An alternative could be a “dumb phone” with keys. 2. Regulate usage through screen time apps. 3. Get together with other parents to create joint driving rules. Source: Author and media scientist, Maja Lunde. – I think they are missing out on a lot Professor of physical education at Oslo Met and trained general teacher, Knut Løndal, will not point to the parents. – We are in a general social development where both children and adults have more access to screens, he says to news. Rather, he encourages awareness of this development, and is keen to bring out the benefits that children can get from outdoor activity. – Playing outdoors involves anticipation, joy and surprise. For several years, Løndal has researched play and self-determined physical activity among children and young people, and how this contributes to overall development and learning. Professor of physical education and trained general teacher Knut Løndal believes that children can miss out on a great deal if screens take over for outdoor play. Photo: OsloMet – We who have researched play see that children’s play often involves versatile physical activity. The children play primarily because it is fun, but at the same time development takes place in both motor and social skills. – I think children can miss out on a lot if screen activity displaces time for outdoor play, Løndal continues. He claims that children try out different solutions in outdoor play, and that imagination has good conditions. – In our research, we see that children who play outdoors switch very frequently between different activities, and that imagination plays an important role. I have not researched screen-based play, but I would like to think that such activity challenges the imagination to a lesser extent. Is it the parents’ responsibility that children play outside? Yes No Don’t know Show result Happy to watch the children while away the time On a playground in Oslo, Nelvik tests the play stand. Live Nelvik has several memories of outdoor play from when she was young. Photo: Kjetil Solhøi / news The presenter is current with the program “NM in disguise”, which premieres on news on Friday. The game suddenly becomes very real when the athletes have to give their best. For the very first time, the nerves will be tested in three exercises, before one has to go home. – Hide and seek is one of the few games that I can also play with my children as an adult, as I have lost the ability to play role-playing games with tiny dolls and figurines, she says. Nelvik remembers well several classic hide-and-seek games from when she was young – It reminds me of ingenious hiding places, the horror of being found first, and the joy of being found last – to honors among the others. Do you remember these toys? Hide and seek Everyone hides, except for one participant, who must find the others. The most common is that one person is chosen to stand, while the others run and hide. The person standing closes their eyes and counts to an agreed number, for example 100, before opening their eyes and the search begins. – I think it is the simplicity and excitement that engages. It can be done anywhere and with anyone, says Nelvik. Score: 10/10 The box goes One person counts at a box while the others hide. After the count, the person looks for the others. The goal for the seeker is to find and call out their names at the box. Those hiding try to run forward and kick the box to free themselves and others. The game continues until everyone has either been found or the box has been kicked. – I was always so stressed by that box and afraid to run away if one was seen. Points: 9/10 The last One participant, the one who “has it”, must try to take away the other participants to pass the last one on. For those who don’t have it, it’s important to move so that the person who has the last one doesn’t get hold of them – I’m very happy with the last one, but you get bored quickly. There is a more exciting variant of cops and robbers. I also liked Hawk and Dove. Score: 7/10Kongen på haugenThe game takes place on a heap or on a steep hill. It is an advantage that the pile has a somewhat damping surface. A snow-covered mound is a great arena. The game starts with one or more participants being chosen as king and standing on top. The other participants must try to get the king down from the pile and take over the king’s place themselves. – I didn’t like wrestling with the king, especially if it was a boy. Would probably have liked it better today. Score: 5/10 She hopes that the screen will not take over outdoor activities among today’s children and young people. – I currently only have one of three children on screen, and I am very concerned about the balance between screen and reality. Nelvik likes to see the children playing so much that they forget the time, but clarifies that this is something she does not tell the children. – Whether they go out and play hide-and-seek or not, I don’t get involved, but the best thing I know is when children don’t come home at the agreed time, because they were playing completely away. Published 02.10.2024, at 15.58
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Live Nelvik believes it is the adults’ fault that children play outside less – news Culture and entertainment
