How to make screen time healthy, according to experts

Screen time is an inevitable part of most kids’ days, whether they’re at home or at school.

While it’s hard to strike the right balance between allowing screen time and knowing when and where to avoid it, experts have some sound advice for parents navigating the issue.

It’s not about banning devices altogether, it’s more about using screens for activities that help children with development and therefore building a healthy relationship with technology from an early age.

The experts at Legacy Online School encourage parents to have honest, constructive conversations with older children about their screen time.

They’ve shares their six dos and don’ts with HerFamily, to help you decide what is best for your family:

Do: Use a device’s parental controls

Utilising a device’s built-in parental settings are vital to maintaining healthy screen time. All major modern phone brands and gaming consoles have customisable settings that will help regulate the amount of time your child spends in front of a screen per day - which varies depending on their age:

Ages two and under: No screen time is recommended, besides facetime calls with family monitored by a parent or guardian.

Ages three to five: No more than one hour of non-educational screen time on weekdays, three hours on weekends.

Ages five and up: Generally, no more than two hours of non-education screen time on weekdays. However, as children grow, parents should begin to open discussions around screen time up to them. Before making a decision, consider;

• Is your child getting enough exercise?
• Is your child emotionally mature?
• Do you trust your child to be on the internet unmonitored?

Don’t: Use screens as a reward or punishment

It can be tempting to take a screen away as a consequence for bad behaviour, or extend screen time as a reward, but doing so suggests to your child that a screen is something that should be put on a pedestal.

Inevitably, smart devices are going to be an everyday experience for young people across their entire lives. To build and maintain a healthy relationship with them, kids need to see them as ordinary. If they’re used as a bargaining chip, they’ll quickly start to see screens as something special, which can contribute to a dependent association for your child.

Do: Encourage ‘switch-off’ days

Remember, children will often copy their parents behaviours, so lead by example. One of the best ways to do this is to plan, and openly look forward to, a set screenless period for your household. This can be one night a week, or a day at the weekend - whatever is the best fit for your family.

And remember – these shouldn’t be treated as punishments, or an extra rule. They’re a chance to display to your child that time without screens can be fun, whether that means going for a long walk, playing some board games, or another activity like arts and crafts.

As well as being a good excuse to spend more time with your child, structured physical play is much better for their cognitive development than sitting in front of a screen.

Don’t: Send children to bed with devices

Giving a phone, games console or tablet to a child before bed is unhealthy for a few reasons. First of all, they’re a lot more likely to over-extend on screen time if you can’t monitor them. This will lead to a much later bedtime, and less energy for the next day in return. 

It also may mean a lower quality of sleep. The light that is emitted by a device suppresses a child’s natural sleep hormones, and leads to less replenishing rest.

There is also research to suggest that exposure to this light for extended periods can contribute to mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.

Do: Encourage an open conversation

As your child gets older, they’re likely to question their screen time limits and may want complete freedom of their devices. It’s important to listen to them and find a solution that they can understand without sacrificing their health.

If you think they’re mature enough, then don’t shy away from telling your child the consequences of over-indulging in screen time: they could be more likely to suffer from obesity, become emotionally withdrawn and are less likely to take up hobbies that they may have loved otherwise.

Don’t: Rely on screens to keep your child occupied

After a long day, giving your child a tablet or phone to play with so you can have some peace and quiet can, understandably, be really tempting. But as you expect your children to control their own screen time, you need to hold yourself to the same standard. Try and find another way to help keep their interest, like coloring or reading.

In these times where children are bored, they’ll often use their imagination to invent their own fun. This is another way that children develop their minds, and will often give way to new interests they wouldn’t have found otherwise.

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