Summary: Screens continue to become more and more essential for homeschooled and non-homeschooled students everywhere. While they have brought some good into the world, it is important to ensure that our children have a thriving life offline.
II. The Effects of Excessive Screen Time
A. Is Screen Time Always a Bad Thing?
B. How Much Screen Time is Actually Too Much?
III. 12 Ways to Manage Your Child’s Screen Time
C. Plan Activities to Fill Screen Free Hours
D. Make Use of Analog Learning
E. Have a Designated “Classroom” Space
F. Incorporate Educational Content
H. Model Healthy Screen Habits
J. Give Your Child Opportunities for a Thriving Social Life
K. Ensure Your Child Gets Regular Exercise
Introduction
Some of the top concerns of parents who are homeschooling their children, or considering to do so, are the factors of socialization and screen time. Traditional schools do not offer students regular screen time. They are expected to sit in the classroom listening and/or following instructions. If they are granted time to access their phones/laptops then this time is heavily regulated and putting away the screens afterwards is strictly enforced.
While online homeschooling may include screen time as an important part of education, it is not the only way that your child will get their education. There are also many ways to protect your child from overusing their screens and make sure that when they do use them, they are using it actively for productive reasons rather than as passive consumers.
The Effects of Excessive Screen Time
According to the National Library of Medicine, too much screen time has been linked to issues with disrupted sleep cycles, decreased attention spans, and fluctuating energy levels. Even causing mental issues such as anxiety. The sedentary nature of screen time has also been seen to affect physical health in both children and adults.
Screen time, and social media specifically, has the ability to give users an instant dopamine hit which may feel good in the moment but rarely lasts long. This is what can make screens feel so addictive. The quick and easy dopamine hits online may make it harder for people to pay attention and practice patience in real world interactions.
Constant screen time and stimulation may also take away the important experience of being bored. Children especially need the chance to get bored and let their minds wander to let creativity flourish.
With these things in mind, it is also important to take into consideration all aspects about screen time. It’s difficult to label screens as fully evil, especially as they become increasingly integrated into our world. Rather than banning them completely, it may be more helpful to understand more about them to find out how they can most benefit you and your family.
Is Screen Time Always a Bad Thing?
While screen time has gained a bad reputation, it is hard to ignore the good that it has also brought. For example, different software and technology can help make education more accessible for different student’s unique needs. Some programs and applications may help your child learn new information and dive deeper into their interests productively.
Screens can be used for a bunch of different reasons. It may be worth checking out what your child uses their screens for. Are they using it as active creators? Do they play games that exercise their brains or are they passively consuming content. When your child logs in screen time hours, is it productive or idle screen time? Are they using screens for learning or recreation?
How Much Screen Time is Actually Too Much?
A great way to answer how much screen time is too much for your child is to go by their age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), early childhood is an important time for your child to develop their physical and mental health. Making it crucial to create a healthy lifestyle at home. Constant screen time at a young age may disrupt your child’s ability to engage with the world around them and learn new things through their 5 senses, as well as the development of their language. Here are their recommendations:
- 2 years old and below – no screen time besides video calls with loved ones
- 2-5 years old – screen time should be limited to just one hour per day of supervised screen time (ex. co-viewing content with parents or older siblings)
- 5-17 years old – 2 hours maximum of screen time for entertainment purposes (excluding online school)
Your children should know that screen time is a privilege. Yes, it may have its upsides but always remember that moderation is key. Here are some ways to help you and your children reap the rewards of screen time while avoiding the risks that screen time poses.
12 Ways to Manage Your Child’s Screen Time
Computers have become invaluable to both students and parents in education. They help students discover new knowledge while they help parents communicate with their teacher more easily. You should remember not to feel guilty about having your child have screen time in the first place. Remember, there is a difference between idle vs. active screen time. Rather than shaming yourself and/or your kids about screen time, or banning it in your household completely, it is important to set boundaries around technology that work best for your family.
Take these 12 ways of managing screen time as suggestions and see how your children respond. Don’t be afraid to adjust and adapt as you go!
1. Schedule Their Screen Time
One of the many benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility it gives you. You get to decide what each day looks like. You can decide how long and at what times your child should use their screens both in and outside of school. Scheduling their screen time can help increase their ability to focus, making sure that they aren’t getting distracted or looking at things that they shouldn’t be looking at while studying.
2. Take Lots of Breaks
Sprinkle in frequent breaks into your child’s schedule. Don’t let chunks of screen time get too long and risk straining their eyes. Even a short break can give their brains and bodies a great refresh whether it’s 5 or 15 minutes. Let them use these breaks to get up from where they are sitting and move around/stretch.
There are many techniques you might want to explore for this. For example, the pomodoro technique is a great way to block out working and resting time periods. The 20-20-20 rule has also grown in popularity. For every 20 minutes looking at a screen, make your child stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to avoid eye strain. You can also play it a bit by ear in case your child is reaching a focused flow state that you don’t want to break.
Frequent breaks from screens can boost your child’s energy levels and reduce stress. Knowing the timing of their breaks can also encourage your child to focus finishing their work within their timeframe.
3. Plan Activities to Fill Screen Free Hours
This may be incredibly valuable, especially if you are just starting to get stricter with your child’s screen time. They need something to fill the absence of their screen time. Now is your chance to fill that time with some positive alternatives.
Homeschooling doesn’t only happen online, hands-on learning gives them a break from screens and a possible chance to socialize. Hands-on learning helps them gain firsthand experience which can help them retain information better. You may need to proactively fill their screen free time at first, but you might also notice that as time goes on, your child will find their own ways to spend their screen free time. Boredom fosters creativity!
Some activities you can do as a family are trips to the library, a physical activity to get your bodies moving, family board games, and more. Read this article for more ideas on positive alternatives to screen time.
4. Make Use of Analog Learning
Reduce screens in education where you can by letting your child learn physically like back when you were a student. Print reading materials/activity sheets if possible. To make this eco-friendlier, make sure to use scratch paper. Encourage your student to take physical notes to practice their penmanship. This will also mean that they look at paper when reviewing what they learned instead of a screen. Taking notes is a good way to increase information retention too.
5. Have a Designated “Classroom” Space
If it is possible, try separating where your child learns from where they sleep. This will prevent them from studying or using their screens when they should be winding down for the night. You can also apply this outside of school hours by having designated “screen zones” or “no screen zones” in your house. For example, having no screens allowed in bedrooms will ensure that your child is not on their screen before bed since screens have been linked to disrupting sleep schedules because of the blue light they emit. Another example could be no phones during meals.
6. Incorporate Educational Content
As mentioned earlier, screen time does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Encouraging your child to make use of educational applications, videos, or games can help your child gain a better grasp of their lessons and exercise their brain both logically and creatively. Having your child use their screens as active creators may be much better than them just passively consuming content.
7. Co-Watch with Your Child
You may want to consider supervising your child’s screen time by seeing what they use it for. This is especially valuable for younger children. You can do this while they use their phone or while watching TV together. You can ask them about what they are viewing and/or what they are learning from it. This can help them better understand what they are seeing and also help you ensure that they are viewing appropriate content for their age.
8. Model Healthy Screen Habits
Other than just co-watching with your child, you can also lead by example. Kids tend to mimic the behavior of the people around them. Make sure that you can also abide by the screen restrictions that you set for the children. If you do need to use a screen, then show your child how, why, and when you are using them.
9. Agree as a Family
Make sure that you discuss with your child why you are setting these guidelines about screens in the first place. Setting strict rules without their understanding or input might feel like an undeserved punishment for them, and some of the rules that you set might not be what is best considering how your child may use their screens.
Pay attention and ask them about what they use their screens for. A teen might need more time on screens to do research for school compared to a child in elementary school.
Discussing these agreements about screen time with your child will ensure that the rules that you set will be perfect for your family. This is also a good time to speak about the importance of online safety and boundaries with technology to make sure that they protect their privacy whenever they do use screens.
10. Give Your Child Opportunities for a Thriving Social Life
Healthy screen use does not just mean banning screens completely or limiting their use. It also means encouraging your child to build real world connections offline. Some parents fear that homeschooling may isolate their child when in fact homeschooling offers the flexibility for your child to have different avenues for socialization, you just have to find them. Not only may your child make friends, but they will interact with a wider group of people from all walks of life.
11. Ensure Your Child Gets Regular Exercise
Again, it is important that your child does more than just get off their screens. Time spent scrolling can now be replaced with chances to move their body. If having a great social life offline helps them mentally, regular exercise can take care of their physical development. Enrolling your child in sports or taking hikes with them is a great way to fill the gaps between screen time. Even just 30 minutes of movement can improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of your child. Regular physical activity also helps deal with their attention span and concentration.
12. Make Sure Your Child is Comfortable
It is incredibly important to know if your child feels comfortable while you homeschool. Physical and mental problems may be exacerbated by the use of screens. Symptoms such as migraines, eye strains, and even depression should be dealt with as early as possible. Keep an open line of communication between you and your child. They should know that you are always open to hear any concerns that they might have about homeschooling and/or the use of screens.
Ending Notes
Online homeschooling may require more screen time compared to traditional schools, but whether or not a child is homeschooled, it is very important that your child has a good relationship with their screen use. Screens can help further their education while having fun, especially if you take the necessary precautions of making sure that your child has the opportunities for social and physical development offline. You do not need to feel guilty about taking advantage of screen-based opportunities. They have benefited us greatly although sometimes we might overindulge, even adults have a hard time self-governing, what more our children? The future continues to look more and more digital, helping your child form healthy screen habits may benefit them in the long run.
Take these suggestions and find what works best for you and your family.
FAQs
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Is screen time bad for children?
- Excessive screen time has been linked to negatively affecting a child’s emotional, mental, and physical development. Some examples include blue light from the screens resulting in disrupted sleeping patterns or a lack of patience/focus due to the instant gratification that the internet may provide. While one should definitely be wary of these things, it is hard to ignore the good that screens have brought as well. For example, increased accessibility to education or an endless reservoir of knowledge. Rather than condemning screens completely, it might be worth noting what they are being used for in the first place. It is possible to have productive screen time, like using an educational app/website to learn a new skill. But for screens, as with most things in life, moderation is key.
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How much screen time should my child have?
- An easy way to answer this question is to go by age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), early childhood is an important time for your child to develop their physical and mental health. Constant screen time at a young age may disrupt your child’s ability to engage with the world around them and learn new things through their 5 senses, as well as the development of their language. WHO suggests:
- 2 years old and below – no screen time besides video calls with loved ones
- 2-5 years old – screen time should be limited to just one hour per day of supervised screen time (ex. co-viewing content with parents or older siblings); encourage physical activity to foster healthy development
- 5-17 years old – 2 hours maximum of screen time for entertainment purposes (excluding online school)
- An easy way to answer this question is to go by age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), early childhood is an important time for your child to develop their physical and mental health. Constant screen time at a young age may disrupt your child’s ability to engage with the world around them and learn new things through their 5 senses, as well as the development of their language. WHO suggests:
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How can I protect my child’s privacy online?
- ensure that your child does not share the following on any online platform:
- their name, address
- school name
- sensitive details of their personal lives (ex. family member names, jobs of relatives, daily schedule, etc)
- personal photos
- You may also review the privacy policies of the applications and websites that they use and keep a lookout for any updates they might make on these. If you want to read more about protecting your child’s safety online, specifically with the rise of AI, you might want to check out our article about this right here.
- Teach your child about the importance of using screens and the internet responsibly by helping them establish boundaries with technology. Read more about this in the link here.
- ensure that your child does not share the following on any online platform:
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