Six ways to cut down your kids’ screen time without any arguments – and parents will need to change their attitude too
MANY parents don’t even know where to begin when it comes to getting their kids to spend less time staring at a screen.
Whether it’s social media, online games or TV – it all adds up and can be very addictive.
That’s why Dr Nihara Krause, a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of stem4, has commented on the issue parents face.
“Inevitably, too much engagement on screens may lead to parents worrying about what their child or young person might be exposed to,” she told MyLondon.
“There may be difficulty in gauging how screen time might be affecting children and young people, a lack of balance in terms of other activities, and a general feeling of not being in control.”
She spoke to o three mums and a dad, with kids between 12 and 17 years old and has shared some of their best tips for cutting down screen time without causing an argument.
UNDERSTAND THEIR WORLD
One parent opted for the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ approach, and ended up gaining a much deeper understanding of their kids’ online world.
The parent explained: “I felt like if I couldn’t beat them, I would join them, and once I really understood what the draw was, I could then help them to learn to spend their time wisely.”
USE PARENTAL CONTROLS
According to the parenting pro, some parents managed to cut screen time with screen time controls, but noted that they involved their child when setting them and reviewed them often.
HAVE ALTERNATIVES
Instead of expecting your kids to go cold turkey, the parenting pro revealed that one parents “felt they had to compete with limiting screen time by offering something extra and exciting.”
This took a bit of arrangement to begin with but “they felt it contributed to enhanced communication and fun family activities.”
NEGOTIATE WITH YOUR KIDS
Discussions about screen time should involve your kids, Dr Krause explained.
“Set up collaboratively, based on the age of the child or young person or their vulnerabilities, structured use schedules. Monitor, negotiate and collaborate,” she said.
NO SCREENS IN BEDROOMS AT NIGHT
Some parents found success with charging phones downstairs at night.
“This isn’t just about helping them relax before sleep, it’s also preventing that ‘must check my phone’ feeling as soon as they wake up,” she noted.
CHANGE YOUR OWN ATTITUDE
Your own reaction is important when it comes to this topic, the pro notesd.
She suggested altering your own reaction to help get “perspective” and decide what does and doesn’t matter in the long run.
Liat Hughes Joshi, author of ‘How To Unplug Your Child’ is out February 13.
HEALTH RISKS OF SCREEN TIME
THE screens of our phones, TVs and computers improve our lives in many ways, but there can be too much of a good thing. Science now shows Britain's technology obsession is damaging our health.
Most of the harm is because screen time is sedentary, meaning we barely move our bodies when we are watching or scrolling.
Spending too long sat still eventually leads to weight gain and obesity, which are the driving millions of Brits into health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and dementia.
Here are half a dozen studies that show screen time can damage our health at any age:
- Children who spend too much time watching iPads and TVs at higher risk of mental health problems
- Tots learn fewer words if they are glued to a screen
- Kids at risk of type 2 diabetes if they watch too much TV
- Couch potatoes double their risk of dying young
- Five hours per day on social media trebles adults’ depression risk
- Smartphone addiction keeps a third of us awake at night