Digital Safety for Kids
Screen time with children is an important topic that we are all faced with in our current society. After attending workshops about digital safety, here are some insights that I wanted to share.
Health Implications:
Excessive screen time can have negative effects on children’s health and development.
Children who spend too much time in front of screens are at risk of becoming overweight, experiencing sleep deprivation, being less school-ready, having reduced attention spans, and struggling with self-soothing.
Creating Healthy Habits:
Set Limits: Establish rules and share them with other adults in your child’s life. For children younger than 2 years, avoid screen time altogether. For ages 2 to 5, limit it to less than 1 hour per day. For ages over 5, limit to 2 hours per day.
Be a Good Example: Model healthy screen time habits yourself by limiting your own screen time and having boundaries for yourself such as: no screens in the bedroom, no screens at the dinner table etc. Monitoring your own screen time will be beneficial for your child as well.
Encourage Activities to Engage in instead of spending time on screens: sports, nature exploration, outdoor games, creative play, water activities, community events. These activities not only provide physical exercise but also foster creativity, curiosity, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
It’s also essential to consider the quality of screen time. Not all screen activities are equal; educational and interactive content can be more beneficial than passive consumption like watching cartoons or playing simple games. Additionally, parents should encourage a balanced lifestyle that includes physical activity, social interaction, and other forms of learning and entertainment. Ultimately, parents and caregivers should tailor screen time limits to their child’s individual needs and monitor their impact on their overall well-being. When your child is on their screens, join them and monitor how they are spending their time by asking questions.
Further, there are ways that we can create safety measures on our children’s phones that limit their exposure to certain content and so that we can monitor some of their activities. If you have an Apple device, you can go into the Apple store with your device and they can walk you through this process. Below is a link for Android and Apple users on how to set up certain safety measures.
RESOURCEFUL LINKS TO LEARN MORE:
Screen time and digital media: Advice for parents of school-aged children and teens
Healthy Kids, Healthy Future: 5 Healthy Goals (Reduce Screen Time)
Managing Privacy and Security on iPhone or iPad (Apple Device Support Tutorial)
DOCUMENTARIES TO WATCH: