Top tips from HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones ambassadors on finding better balance and improving your family’s digital well-being

South African entrepreneur Unathi Mbonambi and award-winning blogger Don Dinnematin team up with Nokia phones to give tips on digital wellbeing in 2022, share some of their favourite tips and tricks to meaningfully connect with their families, and how they introduce healthy tech-use in their homes.

There is never a better time to refocus on what’s most important to you than right now. HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones this year introduces the importance of digital well-being and how you can use your ever-connected devices to spend more time with loved ones.

Unathi Mbonambi, who is also a home-schooling mother of four is an avid believer in creating and finding a balanced relationship with technology. Being intentionally involved in the management of her family’s tech-use is extremely important to her to ensure that it empowers her children rather than creates barriers for growth and communication in their home.

As a mother of four – all under 10 – Unathi is careful to monitor what her children do on the internet. As children become more tech savvy using the Kidspace feature, available to download from the Google Play store, on their family’s Nokia T20 tablet helps to protect her children against content that is not suitable for their growing minds, while ensuring that they do not exceed screen-time limits.

Introducing healthy tech-use can seem like a daunting task, but Unathi shares her top three tricks on how she has managed to cut back the digital clutter:

• Having device-free family time – during dinner, in the car or on school nights her family has device-free time, time used to chat and catch up about each of their days.
• Setting screen time limits – it is very important to limit the number of hours spent using devices to ensure that real life like chores and school tasks are not neglected.
• Being a good role model – Unathi leads by example by creating digitally conscious routines and habits for herself.

Don Dinnematin is an award-winning blogger, influencer and a father of three who strives to ensure that the content consumed at home is safe and does not negatively impact his children. He too, believes that the content children are exposed to has the power to shape their thoughts, making it important to ensure that all the content they consume align to the values of their home.

Children are becoming more tech inclined and Don is no stranger to ensuring safe tech-use in his home by password protecting certain apps and content. While in work mode one may forget to check what the children are up to, but Don advises that it is always a good idea to take a few minutes to sense-check what your child may be consuming.

While navigating the ever-growing tech environment, Don is always careful to select content that enriches his children’s personalities and makes tech-use fun, while encouraging learning. Don too makes use of Kidspace, which has helped to introduce fun household activities such as cooking and makes daily chores more interesting with its vast library of safe and engaging activities that keep the children busy for hours, while ensuring that they stay active and engaged with the world around them.

Nokia devices have an entire suite of digital wellbeing tools and parental controls that go a long way in helping achieve healthy tech-use, including the Nokia T20 that encompasses several elements that make the tablet a safe and easy to use family favourite. The device’s durability, versatility and lasting battery life not only help Unathi and Don navigate the world as adults, but also help their children learn new skills.

While tech promises fun for your little ones it is also important to foster digital consciousness to help them lead healthy balanced lives. So, take the time to make some much needed changes by tapping into the tools that help little ones disconnect, and really stay connected to your family.

Pricing and availability of the Nokia T20

The Nokia T20 is priced from R3,999 or from R279/month. Nokia T20 has 4GB Ram and 64GB of onboard memory (WiFi and LTE) in Ocean Blue. The Nokia T20 is available in South Africa from mid-January through Vodacom outlets and selected retailers.

A Rugged Flip Cover will be available to protect your Nokia T20 against drops and scratches that can be bought separately from selected online stores.

Photography: Featured Image supplied by @thedonfathersa