5 screen time tips for the rest of Summer
Although it seems like every supermarket in the country is trying to sell us something for the “back to school” rush, some of us are still clinging to the summer holidays with a tight grasp! That’s not to say that the summer months off school are all a walk in the park. Keeping our children fed, watered and occupied for the summer is no mean feat!
There always comes a point in the summer when the original rules and boundaries we had set in place for the summer get a little relaxed or perhaps even forgotten altogether. One area in particular is screen time. It’s a topic that can fill parents with dread and the prospect of screen time battles with our children and teens can feel extra draining during the summer when it seems there are more hours than ever to fill in a day.
Summer might be almost over but that doesn’t mean we have to admit defeat. If you feel like screen time is starting to get a little too much air time in your children’s lives, there’s always time to start again! Here are five tips that can hopefully help!
Look at your screen time boundaries
Have a look at what is currently happening with screen time in your family and be honest about it - including your own scroll time. It’s perfectly ok for you to put the reins on, even at this stage of the summer; in fact, it’s our responsibility as parents. You may get some backlash if you introduce restrictions (or you may not!) but either way, you still have a right to do what is best for the family overall, even if it does sting a little in the beginning. Once you know what plans you want to put in place, start a screen time plan with very clear expectations - which are known and visible to all! Having a very frank discussion with teens especially, reduces battles later on! If expectations aren’t meant, then you can calmly state it without getting into a power struggle.
Don’t use screens as a reward
As parents, we’ve probably all done it at some stage - the promise of a computer game, a tv show or getting the phone back in exchange for a parenting need or want! In the thick of parenting pressure, sometimes a bribe feels like the only option but the reality is we can’t let them become the prize. If we do this, we end up giving screen time too much focus and attention, and it subtly sends the message that it’s somehow better than everything else. Screens shouldn’t be the reward for doing something else but this is much easier if you have a predictable routine - especially over the summer months. Which brings us to the next point…
Have a daily routine
When trying to battle the pull of screens, a routine that is fixed can be a life saver - especially if you are trying to juggle your professional work, either from home or working with a childminder or creche. If children are being cared for away from home, then you probably do already have a fixed routine for that. But routines at home can help too. Meals and chores at a fixed time, outside time for sports, or time for crafts, baking, reading - or whatever hobby or interest your children have. Screen time can then be slotted in at a predictable time and as far as you can, make it fixed, so it doesn’t depend on mood or behaviour. Also, having a fixed time for the end of screen time is also very helpful!
Provide different activities
Something that can help with limiting screen time is setting up the living rooms or play areas in your home in such a way that they aren't the focus. There’s solid evidence to suggest that screens should never be in bedrooms and if that’s currently happening in your home then perhaps this is one of the first areas you’ll want to focus on. Going back to other areas, there are things we can do to engineer the room in such a way that other hobbies, interests and activities become more of a focus. Book shelves, jigsaw boxes, craft baskets, throws and cushions to make things cosy - even lighting can make a difference! Or if a teen takes an interest in something, what can you do to help facilitate it that doesn’t involve “research” on the internet?!
Work within your limits
Maybe this is a season of life where there is a little more screen time than you would like and the last thing a parent needs to feel is more guilt. So, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do everything now; you can always commit to it when you have more time and headspace. In the meantime, you can be mindful of the type of content and type of screen time your children are consuming and have some very basic rules in place - like no screens in bedrooms or during meals for example. If you’re trying to entertain young children, have a think about what kind of activities you could set up that require minimal effort and clean up. Or if you have older children and teens, get them engaged and hands on with tasks around the house. It might help to limit the screen time in the meantime and teaches valuable life skills.
These are tips that can be drawn on at any time of the year - not just a summer. So if the past few weeks of holidays have just been crazy, then save this to come back to and have a chat with your spouse about when and how to implement them in your own unique family circumstances. In the meantime, we’d love to hear suggestions of things that have helped your family so feel free to share with the Hearts+Minds community in the comments below.
For more help and resources on screen time check out the following websites:
Protect Young Eyes - particularly excellent for the latest tech research and advice on navigating tech controls and monitoring content on devices and apps.
Smartphone Free Childhood - wonderful grassroots parent movement in the U.K. with excellent resources and guides on how to delay phones, as well as templates for contacting schools. Great resources for educators too!
Better Screen Time - full of practical advice and they have a fantastic screen free gift guide each Christmas which we’d highly recommend checking out.