What Is a “Safe” Amount of Screen Time? A Two-Part Answer to Consider
This is the first part in a new series by Beauceron team members talking about issues around digital life and cyber-safety from their personal experiences.
Stéphanie Bringloe
Raising kids in a world that relies on screens is a difficult balancing act.
Parents want to prepare their kids for this world, but they don't want to let their kids zombify in front of screens. As a parent to two young children, I have definitely felt this struggle.
The research and data on the topic encourage parents to use a time-spend tracking-strategy; I would argue that this is only half of a good strategy.
Countless articles will explain that children who have more than one hour of daily screen time are more likely to be vulnerable in all five developmental health domains, and that sustained high amounts of screen time exposure is a proven risk factor for emotional and behavioral problems.
Governmental organizations and associations use this research to make easy-to-follow recommendations on their websites. For example, the American National Health Institute, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Canadian Pediatric Society all recommend versions of similar basic guidelines: no screen time before age 2, less than one hour of screen per day time until age 5, and less than 2 hours of screen time per day until age 9.
However, all this research and advice focuses only the time spent in front of screens when I would argue there is a whole other aspect to consider when developing a healthy screen-time strategy in any home: the intentional way we talk about it.
To illustrate this, I present to you my very own study to consider; let's call it the "Lazy Day Experiment."
Our family used to have what we like to call "Lazy Days." On Lazy Days, the rules that usually governed screen time in our home were lifted and we let ourselves be distracted by movies, shows, and games – all without limits. During those days, we surprisingly quickly found ourselves collecting our very own data on the effects of unlimited screen-time; it makes us all – parents included – undeniably crabby.
After a Lazy Day this spring, my partner and I decided to talk openly about it with our kids. We were honest about our own shortcomings during those days, and the kids admitted that Lazy Days made them feel "a little bit mean." None of us could deny the cost of unlimited screen-time. It is felt – even by the kids. So, we decided, as a family, to modify the rules of Lazy Days.
Lazy Days still happen, but with some new and agreed-upon restrictions. Each half-hour of screen time is followed by two things: a half-hour of outdoor time and, most importantly, a check-in. "How are we feeling? Are you starting to feel angry a little too quickly? No? Okay let’s keep going then!”
The available research and guidelines encourage parents to keep track of minutes spent in front of screens, but I would argue that this is only half of a good strategy.
Combining these guidelines with an open and honest conversation about screen time is what helped my family the most. Being able to check-in internally and notice our feelings when interacting with technology is crucial in staying safe while using it.
Modeling this behaviour will be key; being honest about what screen-time does to ourselves encourages our kids to feel less shame about what it does to them – which in turn gives them a chance to learn from it.