Managing screen time these Christmas Holidays

Christmas holidays are almost here.  Depending on your children, you’re either thinking about ways to keep them entertained for weeks, or how to ensure they get the down time they need.  For many families, more time at home means an increase in screen time.

If you’re struggling to keep an eye on screen time you’re not alone. The challenge for many parents is striking the right balance, and when you can master this, there can be health and well being benefits for your child.

It’s not at all surprising that this balance is hard to maintain when children are jumping from screen to screen often throughout their entire day. Phone, tablet, laptop, gaming console, tv, all of these contribute to total screen time and because of the many uses of screens its difficult to monitor and control.  With the Christmas holidays upon us we need to be even more vigilant, keeping the children happy and entertained with screen time can be a very easy trap to fall into.

Screens are a part of family life and moderate amounts of screen time can be useful and enjoyable for families. It can provide entertainment and distraction, creative and stimulating ways to enhance learning, and opportunities to connect with others.

So why is screen time such a problem?

Screen time gets its fair share of attention in the media and this has been aided by the recent announcement by the World Health Organisation classifying gaming addiction as a mental disorder. This is worrying for many parents but the rule is very simple.  Everything in moderation.

There are some very good reasons why too much screen time can be problematic.   ​

1. The young brain is very impressionable and is still under construction til about the age of 24. What children do now really matters. Too much screen time can affect the brain.
2. Sleep disturbance is a problem because adequate sleep is essential for learning and development. Lack of adequate sleep can lead to poor performance at school and raise stress levels. It is recommended that children get 8 – 12 hours sleep each night.
3. Isolation. Believe it or not sometimes the more connected we are online the more isolated we feel. Years of research tells us that we need connection in order to thrive. ​ Social isolation can also increase the risk of depression, anxiety and lack of self-confidence.
4. Increased risk of obesity can be a consequence of being sedentary for long periods of time and a lack of active play. To avoid this, one hour of active play each day is encouraged.

Here are some handy tips to keep on top of your child’s screen time these holidays.

Lead by example.  It’s important for us to lead by example.  This is incredibly challenging when as adults we use our devices for everything from checking work emails, organising playdates, playing music and checking the weather.  But showing your children that you can manage without it for a couple of hours to spend time with them is sending a very important message. Toddlers are at such an impressionable age, they are learning from their parents, fortunately for us they haven’t had the influence of peers yet. You can get in early here!

Set daily screen time limits and stick to them.  This is also a good time for a talk about where in the house screens can be used. (i.e. not in bedrooms) Ensure that children are involved in this discussion and the decisions and understand the reasons why. It’s an opportunity to be proactive.  If you have older children, this can be challenging for them but it’s not too late. Start reducing screen time by 15 minutes every couple of days until screen time is within reasonable guidelines.  This will help the transition.

Plan some time involving activities that don’t require screens. Remember screen time needs to be replaced with something. Sometimes trying to get children to come up with alternatives can be like pulling teeth when all they want to do is Gaming or watching their favourite YouTube clips. Sit down together at the beginning of the holidays and make a list of ‘non screen’ activities to place on the fridge. It could be a holiday bucket list..and the possibilities are endless.

Use the tools available to manage access. One example of this is the new ‘Screen Time’ function on the latest iOS 12 update for ipads and iphones. This function allows to you set limits and sends a notification warning when screen time is up.  There are many options available for parental controls and every family is different.  It’s important to find one that suit yours. Cybersafe Families are happy to help find a solution for your family.

Get involved in what your children are doing online. Play together, discuss, learn and have fun with them.  Playing together also provides opportunities for positive discussions around healthy online habits and finding a balance. When children see you enjoying and understanding what is important to them, they are a little less likely to be as resistant when you are trying to enforce limits and guidelines around their online use.

How much is too much?

Source: Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines via safety.gov.au/education-resources/iparent