Quick Guide On Managing Your Child’s Screen Time

It is not a new sight these days to see more and more children with cell phones, along with streaming devices (i.e., tablets). This form of playtime is far different compared to back when children had toys and games that they would bring outside with them. But now, kids are spending more time indoors, not giving the outdoors a second thought.

While screens aren’t harmful all the time, they can still affect your children. How? By spending a lot of time on phones, tablets, the TV, etc., children are becoming more prone to getting addicted to the screen.

But not to worry, parents! This quick guide will show you 5 ways to better manage your child’s screen time.

1. Educate Yourself About Screen Time

First, as a parent, you’ll need to educate yourself about the effects of spending large amounts of time on a device. Notice the warning signs of your kids spending too much time on their devices, which are:

• Feeling tired
• Not having enough energy
• Not communicating enough
• Showing a lack of interest in other things

Plus, it’s important to know how long your kids are on their devices. If you see that they’re spending hours on end on their devices, then it’s time to limit their screen time.

When you educate yourself on how much screen time your kids are exposing themselves to, you can better learn how to effectively tell them about the causes and effects of spending excessive time on their devices.

2. Look At Your OWN Screen Time

In addition, you may want to keep track of how much time YOU spend on YOUR devices. Kids learn a lot from their parents; therefore, it’s important to teach them the right habits by setting them a good example. It’s important to keep track of the following:

• The devices you’re currently using
• How much time you spend on each device and how often during the day you do it
• How often you think of using your device(s)

By looking at your own screen time habits, you can work with your child to limit your screen time. By making this a “family” thing rather than a “child” thing, you’ll be able to spend that extra time with them doing something else.

3. Watch Good-Quality Shows With Your Child

While one hour of educational programming can be beneficial, you should still be there to monitor your child whenever they’re watching television or streaming on a device. As a parent, you’re responsible for what your children watch.

For example, for any educational program, you can sing or count along with them so that the show is more wholesome for your child. As you can see, parent participation and reinforcement is key and it will help monitor what is being experienced during screen time. It will be a great way for you to expose your children to educational content, rather than having them watch or non-educational shows all day long.

4. Set Friendly Time Limits

After observing how much time your children are on their devices, it works well to establish certain time limits. That means letting them know when to have screens on, and when screens should be turned off. The best times to limit screen time can be done during the following activities:

• Dinner time (or any meal time, in general)
• When doing homework
• Before going to bed
• When getting ready in the morning

By setting time limits on screen time, you’ll keep better track of how long your children are on their devices.

5. Say No To Screens In Your Kids’ Bedroom

Finally, it’s important to make bedtime…well, bedtime. That means making sure that your child isn’t on their phone, or on any other device, when it’s time to go to bed. Devices, especially with bright screens, can prevent your child from sleeping. The more time they spend on devices at night, the less sleep time they have. So, be sure to limit their time on the device(s) when it’s time for bed. Make bedrooms a no-screen zone for your child, if that’s more effective than setting a time limit that they can have with their devices in their room.

You Rule the Screen, Screens Don’t Rule You!

Ultimately, you – the parent – have the final say, when determining how much time your child is spending on their devices. With screens being more dominant in kids’ lives now more than ever before, it’s important for them to practice healthy habits when being exposed to devices and the television.

We hope that this quick guide helps you better manage your child’s screen time, and that you and your family can spend more time connecting with each other.

About the Guest Author

George J. Newton is a writer and editor at Academicbrits.com. As a business development manager, he oversees business operations in various companies. And as a blogger, he writes articles about the latest trends in childcare, education, and psychology.

Featured image credit: Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash