The 5 "W"s of Deciding Your Family's Screen Time Rules

Screening screen time

You love your favorite show, your smart phone, the book you’re reading on your tablet, and you couldn’t work without your computer. Why wouldn’t your toddler or preschooler want screen time too?

It’s Not Just Your Child’s Screen TimeAs important as it is to create limits for your child’s screen time, don’t forget your children are affected by how much you’re on your screen. If you’re always looking at your screen, your child may get frustrated or angry and try to get your attention with negative behaviors. Put down your screen when interacting with your child. It will also set an example of when to use and not use screens.

As a parent, it’s important to actively make decisions about your child’s screen time.Making these decisions can be challenging, not just for parents, but even for the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP).

 What the AAP suggests

In 2015 the AAP recommended no screen time for children under the age of two and two hours per day of screen time for children older than two.Recently though, the AAP determined that those recommendations no longer make sense in our digital world and plan to release new guidelines this year.In the meantime they encourage parents to be involved with their children’s digital time. Remember, children learn best by interacting with you and the world around them, not with a screen.Screen time is most often passive and requires little to no active participation from the child. No matter how colorful, fanciful, or responsive a screen activity is, nothing takes the place of live interaction!

 The 5 "W"s of deciding your family’s screen time rules

Who?

Consider your child’s individual needs:

• Age: A five year old may love letter recognition games, while a two year old may find colors fascinating. For toddlers, generally short and simple stories and games can be best.

• Developmental stage: Is your child at the stage where make-believe is a thrill?  An online storybook or game with fairies could be just right.

• Personality:  Does your child like constant interaction or lots of quiet? Consider your child’s personality when choosing activities.

• Changes: At different times, your child may need more or less limits to screen time. Familiarity and repetition can be comforting and educational or boring. New activities can spark new interests or provoke anxiety.  Changes can happen every week – or even within a day!

• Family Time: Skype, Viber or other video-chat apps can be important for families with parents in the military or who travel a lot, or far-away family members like Grandparents. Seeing and hearing a family member on screen helps maintain relationships and can be soothing to even very young children missing family members.

What?

What may be the most challenging “W.” One study found 58% of the 80,000+ educational apps in the Apple app store are targeted at toddlers and preschoolers. Yikes!

• Check it out! Do people or organizations you trust recommend it? Is the only recommendation from the company selling it?  Ask friends, teachers, librarians or others their opinion.

• Together time? There are differences between your child watching a cartoon in another room vs. you and your child playing an online game together.

• Opportunities. Interact with your child when looking at a screen, Ask questions – What do you see? Increase vocabulary – What’s the name of that animal? Playing a game – talk about taking turns.

• Don’t just sit there!  Someone on the screen jumping? Stop and jump, just like the character on the screen.

• Connect screen time with the world. Watched a video about fish? Take a walk on the river path and talk about the fish in the Willamette.

When?

Many parents wonder when screen time is okay and how much time is okay. Decide what fits best with your values and lifestyle.

• The whole picture: What percentage of the day (or week) is spent with screens and what percentage playing with toys, outdoors, interacting with others? Think of everything your child is doing, not just the screen time. Remember your child may also be spending screen time with friends, day care or elsewhere.

• Limits are important – choose what limits make most sense for your child and your family.

• Mealtimes and bedtime are often the most talked about for shutting off screens. Mealtime is great for family interactions and some research suggests screens at bedtime interfere with sleep.

• An after dinner or weekend morning online game or movie can be a great family activity.

Where?

• Everywhere? Some families, for example, choose to keep screens out of bedrooms.

• Out of the home? Choosing a childcare or preschool? Ask what type of screen time happens and for how long. How much screen time happens outside the home can influence what you decide happens in your home.

Screens can help your child learn, create stronger family bonds, and be fun and entertaining when balanced with time for other play, outdoor activities and interacting with family and friends. Create the right balance by using the “5 W’s” to help your child be tech savvy and tech smart.

Help Choosing The Right App and More            In addition to friends, librarians, and teachers, there are a few reliable sites that can be helpful in making decisions about screen offerings. Commonsensemedia.org, for example, provides independent age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites, books, and music. They also have a parent blog to help with issues about  raising children in the “digital age.”

---

  

Triple P - Positive Parenting Program

Are you interested in receiving more parenting advice? Triple P Online – Positive Parenting Program could be for you! This online parenting program allows you to take a parenting class in the comfort of your own home, at a coffee shop, or wherever you’d like!If you are interested, submit the form below and information about next steps will be sent directly to your inbox. For more information about the program click here.[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][gravityform id="1" title="true" description="true"][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]