Wellbeing

Screen time: benefits and considerations

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A changed landscape

As we look towards post-pandemic life, we can see a significant shift in the way our children use technology. Previously, parents had clear rules about daily screen use, but COVID-19 forced us to reconsider this. Suddenly our children needed to use screens to communicate with family and friends, complete schoolwork, as well as play games and watch videos.

When considering your child’s screen time, it is important to remember that not all screen time is equal. Experts differentiate between active screen time, involving discussion with others and critical thinking, and passive screen time, in which people consume content without interacting with it. Rather than setting time limits for daily screen use, we recommend a balanced approach, ensuring that our children experience life on and off screens.

We can set our children up for success with their screen time by using several strategies:

• Remain engaged with your child’s screen activities by supervising them, asking them questions about what they are doing, and ensuring the content they are consuming is age and developmentally appropriate.
• Monitor your own screen use and model using screens in moderation.
• Set boundaries around screen use (e.g. in certain areas of the house, only at certain times of the day or week, limits on the amount of time before a break).
• Countdown to when screen time finishes, so requests to turn them off are not unexpected.
• Utilise a transition activity in between screen time and another activity, such as running around outside, to allow children time to move and re-regulate.
• Encourage a balanced approach between screen use and other interests.
• Take note of changes in behaviour and temperament, and consider if screen time needs to be re-negotiated.

We encourage you to continue to monitor the screen time of your whole family, which will enable you to reap its benefits whilst also being aware of its limitations. The latest School TV module entitled Managing Screen Time contains many more useful ideas and considerations.

Andrea Fairlie
College Psychologist R-12