{"id":5778,"date":"2025-07-07T12:00:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=5778"},"modified":"2025-07-07T12:00:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T12:00:33","slug":"parented-fest-summer-break-a-key-opportunity-for-family-reconnection-and-digital-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=5778","title":{"rendered":"ParentED Fest: Summer Break \u2013 A key opportunity for family reconnection and digital balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tNearly 70% of children aged 10 already own a smartphone, unlocking access to a limitless digital universe<\/strong>
\n\t69% of young people aged 9 to 22 spend over 3 hours a day on social media or online gaming\u2014even during school days<\/strong>
\n\tParenting expert Maggie Dent: \u201cThe digital distraction of devices, laptops, screens and smart phones is stealing precious moments of verbal communication with our kids.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around 70% of 10-year-old children already own a smartphone, and spend, on average, more than 3 hours a day on social media and online games\u2014even during the school week. Over the past decade, screen time has tripled among children aged 9 to 15, and more than 80% of young people across Europe use social media daily. In a world where technology and screens increasingly dominate children’s and teenagers’ lives, parents are under growing pressure to strike a healthy balance between digital opportunities and the risks they pose.<\/h3>\n

The World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong> has issued clear guidelines to support children\u2019s health and balanced development: infants under 1 should not be exposed to screens at all, while those aged 2 to 4 should spend no more than one hour per day in front of a screen. At the same time, daily physical activity – at least 180 minutes –\u00a0is crucial to motor and cognitive development<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Renowned for her expertise in child development and balanced parenting – and widely recognized as \u201cthe voice of boys\u201d in the parenting world, Maggie Dent warns of the potential damage technology can inflict on childhood: “We are stealing play from childhood. We give children screens to keep them quiet. We offer content that is more boring, with less autonomy and less movement. And we expect better outcomes? Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, and sticks.”<\/p>\n

Maggie Dent also stresses the vital role of active parental involvement:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Quite simply, the more words children hear before they are five, the better. Digital distractions caused by devices, laptops, screens, and smartphones are stealing valuable moments of verbal communication with our children. It\u2019s not just about vocabulary\u2014it\u2019s about the social and emotional impact, which can cause real difficulties later in life. A key concern is that a child who doesn\u2019t learn to express unmet needs may grow into an adult who struggles to communicate effectively. And poor communication can become a serious barrier to genuine, authentic human connection.”<\/p>\n

In Romania, the situation is even more alarming: 50% of parents say they gave their children their first phone between the ages of 5 and 8, while over one-third did so between the ages of 9 and 12.<\/p>\n

With the school break just beginning, ParentED Fest urges parents to replace unsupervised access to technology with quality family time, outdoor activities, and meaningful conversations\u2014essential for children\u2019s emotional health and overall development<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Maggie Dent will visit Bucharest on October 4\u20135 to deliver a keynote conference as part of ParentED Fest 2025.<\/h3>\n

The largest parenting event in Romania, ParentED Fest, will take place on October 4-5, 2025, in Bucharest.<\/strong> The event, now in its second edition, will bring together world-class experts in child-rearing and care: Maggie Dent<\/strong>, recognized parenting expert and author of books on balanced child development; Dr. Laura Markham<\/strong>, psychologist and bestselling author on connection-based parenting; Dr. Shefali<\/strong>, international clinical psychologist, who returns to ParentED Fest for the second time after last year’s success; Dr. Gordon Neufeld<\/strong>, psychologist specializing in child development and pioneer in attachment; Tamara Neufeld Strijack<\/strong>, therapist and author, and Dr. Daniel Siegel<\/strong>, world-renowned neuropsychiatrist and pioneer in integrating neuroscience with psychology.<\/p>\n

ParentED Fest 2025 is supported by Lidl Romania \u2013 Strategic Partner, Sanador \u2013 Healthcare Partner, Kids Hero Foundation \u2013 Empowerment Partner, as well as ThedaMar, Catena, Raiffeisen Bank, Activ, English Kids Academy, Maison Dadoo, and Aquatique.<\/p>\n

Innovation Partners: Funda\u021bia Alfa, Funda\u021bia Bog\u2019Art.<\/p>\n

Media partners: Zyx Books, Pagina de Psihologie, Psychologies, Ringier Romania, P\u0103rin\u021bi \u0219i Pitici, Adev\u0103rul de Weekend, Mommy Hai.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Event supported by: Matca Social Club, Destiny Park, International British School of Bucharest, CyberJump, Genesis College, KinetoBebe, American International School of Bucharest, Liceul Teoretic Luca, Museum of Senses, Muzeul Fotbalului, Basme cu Cai, Ograda Bunicilor, Acvatic Bebe Club, Edenland Park, Bob Coffee Lab, Dino Park, Tzitzi \u2013 Poc, Mamaz, Curtea Veche Publishing, Editura Trei, Editura Univers, Editura Herald, Editura For You, Kiddo Play Academy \u0219i Adeomed.<\/p>\n

Tickets are available through the IaBilet.ro<\/a> network and www.parentedfest.ro<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

*This is a Press release.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly 70% of children aged 10 already own a smartphone, unlocking access to a limitless digital universe 69% of young people aged 9 to 22 spend over 3 hours a day on social media or online gaming\u2014even during school days Parenting expert Maggie Dent: \u201cThe digital distraction of devices, laptops, screens and smart phones is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}