Screen habits

As an adult, it can be pretty hard to manage screen time. It’s incredibly addictive and designed to be that way.

What does this mean for our children as they grow, use screens, and have access to devices? And how can we help set them up to be able to manage screen time as they grow?

In our children’s early years, we have the opportunity to build some lifelong habits. They aren’t necessarily going to take all of these on board or continue with them. And yet, we might be able to provide them with some resources that can help. 

Children often start sports or musical instruments at a young age, and the habit of practice, rehearsal, and playing can develop into an ongoing part of life. 

Similarly, with eating good food and getting enough sleep, these are habits we learn as we grow and they have the potential to affect our physical, emotional and mental health. 

As young children, there is the possibility of developing a love of the library, going bushwalking, an interest in cooking, gardening, and artmaking.

All these activities and interests are introduced to us and modelled to us by other people in our lives. Some stick with us and can form a large part of our identity. 

Our environment now includes exposure to screens from a young age. And, like all the other things we introduce to our children, we have choices to make that will affect their development, their daily routine, and long-term habits.

You might like to work on some guidelines that will help you decide what is a good screen time balance for your family.

Some questions that might help you as you go could include;

What are the positive and negative aspects of screen time? What rooms in the house are ones you feel comfortable with your children using screens? How long will screen time be? Is it everyday? Are there screen-free days? Is there a difference between television screen time and computers/smart phones screen time? What boundaries might be put in place to help grow healthy screen habits? Is there a balance between time spent on screens and time spent on other activities, such as creative play and playing outside? Are there tools, like timers, that can help us manage screen time? What’s happening in our brains when we are online? What are the signs that screen time might be becoming a problem? What can screen addiction look like? Are there recommendations for my child’s age? What am I modelling for my child/ren?

You probably have other questions that will help you develop a more concrete idea of what you would like your family’s screen time to look like. It’s worth thinking about and having a clear vision for what you want. It might be a bit wonkier in practice, but it will give you a good starting place and a stronger idea of what you do and do not want.