Managing Screen Time
Below is a portion of an article that was published by Common Sense Media that gives helpful tips when it comes to managing screen time.
Screen Time Management Tips
• Start by taking a pulse on your family’s media use.
You shouldn’t be afraid to make — and modify — rules that make sense for your family, but it’s helpful to start by getting a realistic picture of what your kids’ media use looks like. Lessening screen time effectively starts with becoming aware of when and how your kids are actually engaged with their screens. Take a
24-hour period and track kids’ media use (feel free to use to our media log to help). What kinds of media are they engaging with? How does media use differ on weeknights versus weekends?
• Not all screen time is created equal.
There’s a huge difference between an hour spent shooting zombies and an hour spent learning vocabulary from a smartphone app or composing music online. Think about what kids are doing, in addition to how long they’re doing it for. And, although there’s nothing wrong with a little mindless entertainment, you can
maximize your kid’s screen time if you consider the 4 C’s:
• Connection. It’s really important that kids connect on a personal level with what they’re watching, playing, or reading. Are they engaged? Engrossed? Maybe even enlightened? Getting into a story line or identifying with characters primes kids for more learning.
• Critical thinking. Look for media that takes a deep dive into a topic, subject, or skill. Maybe it’s games in which kids wrestle with ethical dilemmas or strategize about bypassing obstacles. Rote quizzing and simple Q&A-style games may be fun and seem educational, but they may not help kids find deep or long-lasting meaning.
• Creativity. An important feature of many great learning products is the ability for kids to create new content — a new level for a video game or a song, for instance. Kids can feel more ownership of their learning when they get to put their own spins on the experience.
• Context. Help your kids understand how their media fits into the larger world. For younger kids in particular, the discussions and activities surrounding games or movies are key. Being with kids while they play or watch, asking questions about what they’re taking away, and doing related offline activities can extend learning.
Keep in mind that regular breaks from technology are also important — they not only make a difference in the amount of screen time, but also help kids get comfortable disengaging and putting devices away.
• Get to the root of the problem.
If the issue you’re most worried about is technology displacing other activities, consider not only limiting screen time, but also encouraging more active play during tech-free time. If you’re concerned that social skills suffer when all of kids’ interactions are digital, make a point to connect offline as a family (no
technology during dinner is one way to practice this regularly). If the issue is that kids aren’t getting enough sleep at night, consider keeping devices out of their bedrooms altogether or, at a minimum, at night when they’re heading for bed. Whether it’s because kids become engrossed in binge-watching YouTube videos
or a TV show, or because the glow of the screen or the influx of text messages keeps their brains too stimulated to really relax, technology interferes with sleep for many, many kids.
