It is one of those things that becomes incredibly difficult to keep track of. When it comes to our children’s screen time, we need to look at a multi-faceted approach to ensure that we don’t just understand what type of activity is potentially detrimental to them, but also need to remember that minimizing screen time is about a number of different approaches:
Engage
We need to look at engaging in healthier alternatives:
- We need to find something that effectively competes with screen time, and when we look at something like board games such as Mahjong, or puzzles that require family participation, this can be a very welcome alternative to screen time because it’s engaging those similar synapses.
- We also need to remember that screen time is incredibly passive for the most part, depending on what your children are doing. Something like YouTube is very detrimental because it’s a constant bombardment, so we need to look at creativity and interactivity in other ways like board games, but also activities that take up their focus.
Structure
It’s nearly impossible to remove devices from our children’s lives, and therefore we need to help our children understand that screen time should be a privilege. There are different approaches that have varying levels of success depending on the child. These can include:
- Establishing specific times for screen use, for example, only after homework or chores are completed, which can help to reinforce the understanding that responsible behavior can result in rewards.
- Some parents have also had success by implementing a temporary ban, such as the cold turkey approach, and this can help children rediscover other activities they enjoy. But what we need to remember is that after the ban, we gradually reintroduce screen time on a limited timetable.
- We also need to remember that we have to limit our own screen use because our children can often mimic adult behavior. If screen time is a major problem, it is so important for us to follow the same rules. This doesn’t just help set a positive example, but it greatly reduces that “us versus them” attitude that parents can be guilty of. This is vital when our children are so young they’re not able to comprehend why you are allowed to do something and they are not.
Encouragement
We need to incentivize non-screen activities such as going outside, and this can make these alternatives more appealing:
- Creating a reward chart where children can earn points or rewards for completing tasks without screen distractions can motivate them, which is such an important thing in any part of our children’s development.
- We also need to remember that when our children choose non-screen activities by themselves, this can reinforce their interest in engaging with the world around them.
It’s one of those battles that will continue to evolve, and while we are in a sort of Wild West scenario where screen time is normalized, research continues to come out about just how detrimental it is to our children’s health, but also our own mindsets. Therefore, in order to develop a healthier relationship with screens, these three different approaches can be fantastic.
