Family Matters: Screen time
TV, tablets, gaming consoles and phones are an everyday part of life for many families – but for many parents, making sure children limit their daily screen time is an ongoing struggle.
While screen time can be a great way for children to stay occupied and engage their mental muscles, we also want to make sure that they get plenty of real world time too.
Here are some tips on how to limit screen time in your household.
Limiting screen time
Track screen time
Smartphones have the ability to track phone usage (go to screen usage for iOS and digital wellbeing for Android). This shows just how long the device has been used over the day.
As a parent, you’re able to set a timer on apps, causing the phone to lock or turn off once a certain screen time has been reached. If it’s shown that you spend three hours per day on one app, try and limit this to two hours for the first week, then an hour and a half in week two, and an hour in week three, slowly coming down over several weeks.
Take breaks from the screen
Try introducing five-to-10 minute breaks for every 30 minutes of screen time. Set an alarm to go off after 30 minutes. When it goes off get the kids up and engaging in something they like doing. This could be a stretch, a dance, preparing a healthy snack or popping outside to the garden or for a short walk. Try doing some exercise together as a family.
Encouraging screen-free activities
Screen-free meal times
Make dinner time family time. When eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, keep portable devices away from you. Enjoy this time socialising with your family, savouring your time together and chatting about your day.
Listen…
Whether for education or entertainment, try listening to podcasts or audiobooks instead of watching TV, YouTube or TikTok – give your eyes a bit of a rest from screens.
Find a new hobby
Encourage the kids to find a new hobby – perhaps learning a musical instrument, arts or crafts or an activity like yoga, karate or dance. Try and spend a little time every day practising a new skill or hobby. You could even start a jigsaw puzzle or build something together as a family.
Do Nothing
Nothing? Yes, really. Take time to slip into unconscious thoughts, relax and unwind. There are some great guided meditations for children out there, including the Headspace for Kids app.
Schedule screen breaks
Screen time is inevitable but that doesn’t mean we can’t limit it. Make sure you schedule in breaks to your screen time. Over the weekend you can schedule in time for some arts and crafts, exercise, cooking, helping with the household chores, reading a story book or playing a board game.
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