Balance screen time with meaningful, face-to-face interactions, exercise, and activities. Prioritize age-appropriate content, set boundaries, and model healthy digital habits to support your child’s development.
“Our digital well-being depends not just on how we use technology, but on how we cultivate meaningful connections and experiences in an increasingly digital world." - Dr. Anna Lembke
Key Concepts:
- The majority of the concerns around screens are what they are REPLACING. A child in pre-K who is engaging in social activity, getting physical exercise, having positive interactions with family, and practicing EF skills (especially self-regulation) can safely balance screen time.
- Your child is working on self-regulation, social interactions, frustration tolerance, and attention. All of this is best practiced through live interaction.
- Too much time on screens can impact empathy, cooperation, physical health, conflict resolution, academic skills, and sleep.
- Children who watch media rated as violent are more likely to evidence aggressive behaviors, and exposure to TV shows with social aggression (for example, gossiping, ostracizing) is linked to showing these same behaviors.
- Violent, fast-paced content is more likely to activate the reward pathways in the brain, releasing dopamine, resulting in cravings for more content. The brain’s dopamine response makes it tough for other activities (reading, playing outside) to compete with that feeling of craving and instant gratification.
- Setting parental controls, looking at ratings, and talking to your child about online safety are important steps you can take today.
What to Try:
For You:
- Disable notifications
- Assign a timer
- Get your own monitoring system
- Keep your phone outside of your bedroom
For Your Kids:
- If you can, wait on introducing personal devices (their own phone or ipad, apple watch, etc.), social media, and chat/texting
- Avoid screen time before bed as it can affect sleep
- Coview when possible
- Choose TV over ipad or phone and make sure it is watched in public space
- Avoid using headphones and make sure the volume is on high enough for you to hear the programming
- Avoid screens at meals
- Avoid screens during tantrums
- If you are introducing screen time, consider having regular days/times where it occurs
- Balance all screen time with face to face interactions, exercise, and activities
- Choose high-quality, age appropriate, “boring”, and non-commercial content
- Pay attention to messages regarding gender, body image, violence, diversity, and social issues. Also look for tone, peer aggression, overly complex storylines or overstimulation (for example: bells, whistles, gamification).