As schools across the country start to get out for summer break, optimistic parents hope to find a healthy balance with summer screen time for their little ones and teens. It can feel impossible, but Dr. Tiffany Munzer, a pediatrician and digital media researcher at the University of Michigan, admits it’s challenging, but says there are things parents can do, “even though the deck really feels stacked against them sometimes.”
Munzer and childhood independence advocate Lenore Skenazy suggest these practical tips for summertime device use that can free kids from screens and get them outside playing with friends.
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- Make a screen time plan – Come up with a predictable, but flexible schedule so kids know when they’ll have access to screens and when they don’t.
- Set reasonable expectations – The goal should be to prioritize high-quality screen time experience and swap in-person activities for device use as much as possible. A recent paper Munzer co-authored for the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than an hour a day of digital media for preschoolers and toddlers and one to two hours for older kids.
- Set boundaries for digital media content – The experts advise parents trust their own intuition about what to let kids watch. Consider if the content contributes to kids’ well-being and encourages positive behaviors like kindness and rule out anything that maximizes marketing to kids and incentivizes constant scrolling or passive consumption.
- Help kids cope with boredom – They’ll likely complain that they’re bored without their on-screen entertainment, but parents shouldn’t respond by handing them a device, and should stick to their schedule as much as possible.
- Swap screen time for other activities – There are a lot of hours to fill during summer days, so look for local or community-based activities, like at the library or clubs for kids. Lean into your child’s interests so they’ll be more eager to check it out.
- When screen time meltdowns happen – Explain to kids that devices and platforms are designed to keep and hold our attention, so they make screens harder to put down. But don’t soothe kids with a screen, instead try ways to calm the body, like using Play-Doh, reading a book together, going for a walk or listening to music.
- To get your kid outside playing with other kids – If your dream is to let the kids loose outside to play and socialize with their friends, try to let go of the anxiety of something happening when they’re unsupervised. Coordinate with other parents who also want to give their kids independence, so your kid has someone to play with, come up with some boundaries, and make sure kids know to get an adult’s help if they need it.
Source: Mashable⠀
