Prior to the global pandemic, research indicated that 83% of parents were concerned about the amount of screen time their kids were getting. For many families, screen time has necessarily increased, with much schooling moving online as well as the limitations around physical contact and activities.
In fact, COVID-19 safety measures created such a shift in how parents and caregivers had to think about children and screen time that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidance on screen use. The organization acknowledged screen usage has likely increased for children, but that there are ways to ensure good balance is achieved with other activities and pastimes.1
Not all screen time is the same. Watching cartoons or movies is very different input to playing an educational game, creating art or learning. It can be very helpful to distinguish types of screen time and assign a ‘time budget’ for each type. For example:
Determine what ‘time budget’ for each you feel is appropriate for your kids, based on their ages and needs, and knowing that there might be some negotiation involved!
“It’s more important than ever for us to put structures and schedules into our days and to those of our children to ensure a healthy, balanced lifestyle,” says child and adolescent psychiatrist Paul Weigle. Without these structures, games, social media and auto-pilot engagement with devices creeps in and takes over.
And, of course, kids also learn from what parents do, not what they say. So, it’s vital for you as a parent to also monitor and adjust your own screen time and device usage so that you can model appropriate and healthy habits for your kids.
The key is to monitor and moderate. The AAP’s has updated their guidelines on how to help children achieve a healthy balance of screen usage. Here are their suggestions:
Exercise is a key method to improve health and all levels of well-being. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “a short break from sitting, by doing 3-5 minutes of physical movement, such as walking or stretching, will help ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation and muscle activity”. However, for those aged 5 to 17, they should spend at least 60 minutes a day doing moderate to vigorous physical activity.2
A great way to incorporate more physical activity into your child’s routine, is to gamify it! Set up a system whereby they can earn screen time ‘tokens’ by exercising. Research suggests that goal setting is a key strategy and that parents can use several tactics to do this. Here is one approach: