If you have been raising kids in the twenty-first century, someone has likely asked you, ‘How many hours of screen does your child get?’
It’s the dilemma of our generation. We can’t avoid the screen. It’s everywhere and in different forms. And children often get easily addicted to it. It’s worse than the worst drug. The main question is how to manage screen time for kids.
What too much screen time in kids does?
Too much screen time can be harmful to your child in many ways:
- According to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health, too much screen time affects your child’s brain development.
- It also affects your child’s academic performance and language development.
- If your child is swapping the screen for social time, then it also affects his communication and social skills.
When your child is spending too much time in front of the screen, he is basically missing out on all the learning and development.
Screen time recommendations for kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends allocating screen time according to your child’s age:
- Children below the age of 18 months should not be exposed to direct screen time.
- After 18 months, limit screen time to less than one hour and watch with your kids. Opt for educational programs like PBS.
- Children between the age of 2-5 years should be getting only one hour of screen time in a day. Again, encourage your child to watch a good quality program and monitor what he is watching.
- Children above six years should be getting no more than 2 hours of screen time every day.
How to Manage Screen Time for Kids
Some ways in which you can introduce healthy screen time practices are:
Be Good Role Models
Start by practicing what you preach. Our children listen to our actions more than words. Limit your screen usage. Install a screen time management app on your phone. Turn off the wi-fi during many parts of the day including breakfast, lunch, dinner, playtime, outdoors, and one hour before bedtime.
Use that time to do something constructive with your child.
Create A Screen Time Plan with Your Children
Discuss with your child the dangers of too much screen time. Tell him why it is important to limit screen usage. Involve your child on what times he would like to enjoy screen time, and what he wants to watch during that time.
Give them Alternatives
When your child isn’t going to be watching television, or the iPad, what is he going to do? Create alternatives. I’m not saying that you start planning his entire day to avoid screen time, but offer them a few options.
Go outside to play. Plan playdates with friends. Sit down and play with him. Invest in a few board games. Get him to explore his creative side by trying out new projects. In our home, we don’t throw away cereal boxes and other such things that have huge potential to be turned into crafts. Buy drawing papers and colors.
Encourage Independent Playtime
You can’t play with your child all the time. It’s not possible. There is food to cook, dishes to wash, laundry to wash and sort through. We are always on our feet, and sometimes it gets so frustrating when your child expects you to play with him all the time.
That’s why it is also important for you to encourage independent playtime. Choose simple activities and toys that your child can work on his own. Sit down with him. Settle down with the toys, and then leave for 5 minutes. Come back, play for 5 minutes and leave for 10.
Let them get bored
It’s okay to get bored. In fact you should be letting them get bored. Boredom often is the prequel to great sparks of creativity. When your mind is bored, it wanders and comes upon the most brilliant ideas. Plus, boredom is also a stress buster.
Let them Earn Screen Time
The screen is a privilege that should be earned. During school breaks, I have my children earning screen time. They have to make sure the home is clean. They have to bathe, brush teeth, and change clothes first. Here’s a checklist you can use to help them earn their screen time:
Install Screen Control Apps
Install a good screen control app on both your and your child’s device. Most parental control apps have packages for the entire family. This means with one package you can control pretty much every device in your home.
These apps also help you monitor what your child is watching. If your child lands on something that’s not suitable for his age, the website or app is automatically blocked and you get a notification on your device.
I hope this article will help you manage screen time for kids. If you notice your child struggling and these strategies aren’t helping, I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. Please reach out to set up a free consultation. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
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