The phone in her 10-year-old son's hand continuously emitted sounds from video games. In an apartment of less than 50m2 in Lao Cai ward, Lao Cai province, Ms. Hoang Thi Lan had to call for the fifth time to make her son look up from the screen.
"Eat rice, son", "Wait for the match to end, son", those familiar answers repeated throughout nearly two months of summer vacation.
Ms. Lan and her husband both work 20km away from home, go out early in the morning and only come home in the evening. Without grandparents' support, and not having enough conditions for their children to participate in talent classes or long summer camps, they had to leave their children at home with a phone as a temporary solution.
Initially, she thought her child would only watch cartoons or study online. But later on, the time spent using electronic devices increased.
“Someday I checked the history of use, my child held the phone for more than 8 hours a day. He stayed up late, skipped meals, his eyes were red and he almost didn't want to interact with anyone,” she recounted.
What worries her more is the increasing arguments between husband and wife.
She believes that it is necessary to tighten the time spent using the phone, even completely hide the device. Meanwhile, her husband thinks that the child is on summer vacation, and entertainment is normal.
Every time I remind my child, my husband says don't be too strict. As for me, I think if I don't manage from now on, it will be very difficult to fix later," Ms. Lan said.
Not only in residential areas, a similar story also takes place in workers' boarding houses.
At a boarding house near an industrial park in Bac Ninh, Mr. Tran Van Hung said that his 5th grade daughter spent almost the whole day with her phone when her parents went to work.
In the morning, he leaves home at 6:30 am, and does not return until nearly 7 pm. The long time spent alone makes the phone the only friend of the child.
Many times we know it's not good, but we have no other choice. We can't take time off work to look after our children, and we don't dare to let them run around on the street," Mr. Hung shared.
According to him, arguments between husband and wife often start from who is responsible for managing their children.
The wife thinks her husband is too easygoing. The husband sees that his wife is putting too much pressure on the child.
Actually, both of us love our children but are helpless in the face of the circumstances," he said.
The situation of children becoming dependent on electronic devices during summer vacation is becoming a concern for many families, especially in urban areas and industrial parks.
When parents are away from home most of the day, phones and TVs unintentionally become "electronic babysitters". However, prolonged exposure to screens can affect children's vision, sleep, concentration and communication skills.
Notably, disagreements in managing children easily make husband and wife fall into a spiral of mutual criticism.
