It’s the question that many parents are wanting to know the answer to; how much screen time should my child be having each day? And how much time is too much?
Like most things in life relating to parenting, finding the balance between screen time and non-screen time is subjective. We live in a world where most children grow up seeing their parents using devices constantly; taking photos, scrolling through social media, checking emails, researching and messaging friends. How many of us reach for our phone as soon as we wake and can be found scrolling through Facebook or some other form of social media last thing at night? In short there is no hard and fast answers to determine the best amount of screen time for our children, just suggested guidelines and advice. However, we do need to be mindful to lead by example, easier said than done! The Office for the eSafety Commissioner Australia recommends the following;
Age | Time |
Under 2 years | Zero |
2 to 5 years | Less than one hour per day |
5 to 17 years | Less than two hours per day |
Restricting children’s screen time is a personal / family decision and its one that we recommend discussing openly with your family. Screen time, time online or device time as it is also called, includes; TV, gaming, texting and use of electronic devices for entertainment. The above timeframe recommendations do not take into account the screen time that children spend to study and learn or complete homework and implies time spent with a device for entertainment.
time, this will vary depending the age of your children
Make sure that other activities are readily available to encourage screen free time- bring out the old Monopoly set or Uno cards
Implement device free times or zones- no devices in the kitchen or at meal times