Parents Learning Together

There are increased health benefits for children related to reducing screen time, including improved physical health, decreased obesity and more time to play and explore. The following tips can help you to create balance with screen time in your home.

Role model – Be a good role model with your own screen time.

Be accountable – Set expectations with your kids and create goals together to help reduce screen time. Many devices have features to set time limits for use.

Be realistic – If your kids spend a lot of time on screens, including watching TV, start by setting smaller, more obtainable goals. Instead of jumping to the recommended one to two hours or less per day, start by cutting current screen time in half.

Be engaged – After school or work, spend time each day talking face to face with your kids and give them your full attention.

Put hand-held devices away – During screen-free hours, put devices away or at a charging station in a common area so they’re not attracting your kid’s attention.

Create phone-free zones in the home – Making family meal areas a phone-free zone is an easy way to start.

Go outside – Putting down the phone and taking a walk or playing outdoors increases your endorphins and provides that feeling of happiness in your brain, boosting your mood and improving your physical health.

Avoid using screens at bedtime – Turn off screens an hour before bedtime.

The Canadian Pediatric Society Screen Time Recommendations:

• For children under 2 years old, screen time is not recommended.
• For children 2 to 5 years old, limit screen time to less than 1 hour per day.
• For children older than 5 years old, limit screen time to less than 2 hours per day.

Adapted from the Child Mind Institute.