Screen time is the time family members spend watching TV, using computers, or using iPhones or tablets. What is family time? It’s the time families spend communicating and doing activities together. Family time is critical, and it may suffer as a result of too much technology use. Finding a balance between the two can be difficult. Here are some useful tips if you’re a parent trying to figure out the balance.
Act as a Role Model
It is easy for you to forget how often you check your own cell phone. Children tend to mirror your behavior. They are likely to register the discrepancy when it’s a case of ‘do as I say and not as I do.’ As a parent, you need to be aware of your own screen time when setting boundaries. It’s important to be open with your children about how challenging it can be to limit screen time and work on setting better screen time boundaries together.
When considering screen time, the iPhone has a default feature called Screen Timeout that makes your iPhone turn off automatically after 30 seconds of not being active. It’s useful to know how to change screen timeout on iPhone. This may be necessary in situations where you need to use your iPhone without touching it. You need to know how to make your phone not turn off automatically. This may be necessary in situations such as when you’re cooking and consulting a recipe on your phone at the same time. If you want to know how to change screen saver on iPhone go to Screen Timeout settings and then to Screen and Brightness. Tap on auto-lock, a screen lock iPhone feature, and choose any value higher than the current one.
Establish a Screen Time Routine
Better screen time management can come through creating a screen time routine. The key to this is being consistent. Your schedule will depend on what works best for your family. It should include the times your children can use technology, where they can access it, and what they can use devices for.
You can also set up screen time for a family where everyone watches some quality content together. A schedule can lead to more intentional screen use and a way to incorporate technology into your family life in a more healthy way.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed
Limiting screen time before bed is important, as blue light from screens can interfere with melatonin production and affect sleep patterns. It can be hard for you to make sure that every device in the home is switched off at an appropriate time. It’s better to work together on establishing a family routine of everyone switching off their devices an hour before their individual bedtimes.
Do Activities That Don’t Involve Screens Every Day
The whole family should take some time each day to do activities that don’t involve screens. This may be a time when everyone goes riding bikes or takes a walk together. Putting all cell phones away before eating dinner together will make it a more interactive and beneficial time for the family. Reading books or playing board games together as a family is something many children enjoy.
Encourage Children to Take Breaks
Encourage your children to take breaks, as it doesn’t help them physically or mentally to sit in front of screens the whole day. Not having breaks affects their focus, sleep quality, and puts strain on their eyes. They should constantly take short breaks of five to 10 minutes after an hour of screen time. A quick walk outside or having a drink or snack can be beneficial.
Select Age-appropriate Apps
Downloading age-appropriate apps for your children can encourage language development, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Taking turns in doing app activities can help them to learn social skills such as sharing. This makes their use of devices more intentional and helps them to learn.
Ensure Online Safety
It’s important to educate children about staying safe online. You can reduce risks by taking certain precautions, like checking the privacy settings on the apps your children use. You need to keep an eye on what your children watch.
A Screen Time report on an iPhone will show your use of the device, apps opened, and websites visited. If you feel the content they watch isn’t suitable, you should try to direct them to other, more appropriate content you know they will enjoy.
Conclusion
The above tips should help you to find a balance between screen time and family time that’s suitable for your family. Technology can be very useful, but managing its use is important. Children should be made aware from an early age of the importance of managing screen time. This helps to incorporate its use in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with family time.