'Told my son to watch sunset': Jaaved Jaaferi explains why patience & boredom may be becoming harder for today’s generation; says, real life is not 30 frames per second

A sunset takes time. There is no skip button, no autoplay and certainly no next video waiting to grab your attention. That may be precisely why actor and comedian Jaaved Jaaferi believes today's children are finding it harder to simply sit still and watch one.

In an interview with IANS, Jaaved shared a personal experience involving his younger son, Abbas Jaaferi, and reflected on how growing up surrounded by screens can affect the way children experience quiet moments. His comments have opened up a wider conversation about children's screen time, attention spans, patience and the growing need for screen-free activities.

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Jaaved Jaaferi asks his son to watch the sunset

Jaaved recalled asking his younger son to do something that sounds incredibly simple, sit down and watch the sunset.

“I told my younger son to sit and watch the sunset. Can he watch it? Nothing. Sit and watch the sunset. In 10 minutes, he can't watch it. He can't,” Jaaved said.

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The actor said his younger son grew up using an iPad, unlike his elder son Meezaan.

“The younger one especially, he grew up on the iPad. He does a lot of work on it,” Jaaved said.

For him, the contrast between his sons' childhoods highlights how dramatically children's relationship with technology has changed.

Jaaved Jaaferi compares his sons’ childhoods

Jaaved said his elder son had a different experience because he grew up before screens became such an integral part of children's everyday lives.

“My elder son Meezaan grew up a little earlier. He was not attached to these things so much,” he said.

The point, however, is not that one generation was automatically healthier or more patient than another. Rather, children today have access to an almost endless stream of digital stimulation.

A short video leads to another. A game offers another challenge. A notification interrupts a quiet moment.

For children accustomed to that pace, ordinary activities can sometimes seem less exciting.

“Real life is not 30 frames per second”

Jaaved explained his observation using the language of visual media.

“Your brain is constantly registering 24 frames to 30 frames. Real life is not 30 frames per second. It is one frame,” he said.

He believes constant movement and stimulation on screens can make stillness feel uncomfortable.

“When you're watching 30 frames, your subconscious is used to this movement. So when something goes static, you feel everything stopped. I need movement,” Jaaved said.

His description should not be treated as a literal scientific explanation of how the brain processes screens. But it raises a familiar question for parents: what happens when children become accustomed to entertainment that is constantly changing?

“The level of patience is going down”

For Jaaved, patience is one of the biggest concerns.

“It's very dangerous. The level of patience is going down. It's like instant,” he said.

That observation reflects a challenge many parents recognise. Children can become used to instant entertainment, instant information and instant rewards, while activities that demand sustained attention may feel harder.

Reading a book, completing a puzzle, waiting for something, listening to a long conversation or simply sitting quietly requires a different kind of engagement.

Why children may struggle with boredom and quiet time

Today's children rarely have to be bored unless adults deliberately allow it.

There is almost always a device nearby. When there is nothing to do, a child can watch a video. When a game becomes boring, another one is available. When waiting becomes uncomfortable, a phone can fill the silence.

But boredom itself is not necessarily a bad thing.

Unstructured time can give children an opportunity to create their own games, explore their surroundings, ask questions and use their imagination. A child who is not constantly entertained may eventually learn how to entertain themselves.

That is an important skill too.

Is screen time always bad for children?

Not necessarily. Phones, tablets and computers are now part of education, communication and everyday life. Children need to learn how to use technology responsibly.

The concern arises when screens begin replacing activities that are equally important for childhood, outdoor play, physical activity, reading, family conversations, hobbies, sleep and unstructured time.

So rather than asking whether screens are completely good or bad, parents may find it more useful to ask what screens are replacing.

If a child is using a tablet for an hour and then spending time playing outdoors, reading and talking with family, that looks very different from a situation where every spare minute is spent scrolling or gaming.

What parents can do to reduce screen dependence

Simply snatching away a phone or tablet may not always be the most effective solution.

Instead, parents can make screen-free activities attractive and easy to access.

Take children outside after dinner. Watch the sunset together. Go for a walk without phones. Ask them to spot different birds, trees or sounds. Cook together. Play a board game. Read before bedtime.

The idea is not to turn every screen-free activity into another lesson.

Sometimes children simply need permission to enjoy something without having to be productive.

Try creating a daily 15-minute screen-free ritual

One practical approach is to introduce a short screen-free period every day.

It could be just 15 minutes at first.

During that time, parents and children can:

• Sit outdoors and watch the sky
• Read a book together
• Draw or colour
• Water plants
• Build something with blocks
• Listen to music
• Play a simple board game
• Go for a short walk
• Talk without phones nearby

The goal is not to make children sit perfectly still. It is to help them become comfortable with a slower pace.

Parents’ own phone habits matter too

There is another part of the screen-time debate that parents may not always consider, children watch what adults do.

A parent cannot expect a child to put away a phone during dinner while constantly checking messages themselves. Nor is it easy to teach children to tolerate silence when adults reach for their phones every time there is a spare minute.

Family habits can therefore make a difference.

Keeping phones away during meals, having device-free family time and spending part of the day outdoors without screens can establish boundaries that apply to everyone.