Nanny to Mommy

One major concern that many moms and dads have is the amount of time their kids spend looking at screens. Screentime and how much of it kids should have is a hotly debated subject, and many parents, and even parenting experts, disagree about how much screentime is too much. As every parent knows, reducing how much time your kids spend using their gadgets is not easy. Sometimes letting the kids play video games for a while is easier than constantly saying no and encouraging them to do something else. If you are struggling to keep your kid's screentime low and find that this is causing disruption in the family, it is time to take action.

Research shows that kids aged from eight to 18 years spend an average of 7.5 hours looking at screens each day. This figure includes 4.5 hours each day spent watching television. If you are concerned that your child is spending similar amounts of time looking at screens every day, you may be looking for ways to reduce this significantly. Here are some tips to help you tackle the issue of too much screentime:

If you manage to keep your child's screentime under control on school days, you may find that this becomes a much bigger struggle when they are on the summer break. An extended period off school makes it much harder to monitor your child's usage of their tech and more challenging to find alternative ways to keep them entertained. Making plans ahead of the summer is an excellent way to keep them engaged and having fun away from their screens. Reserving them a place at summer day camps in your local area is guaranteed to help them forget about their electronic devices and enjoy making new friends and having fun. The great news is that after a busy day spent at a summer activity camp, the kids will be much too tired to play video games.

Often, kids resort to screentime because they are bored. If they feel restless and have nothing better to do, you may notice that your kids immediately gravitate toward surfing the internet or flicking through the television channels. Planning activities for their spare time is an excellent way for them to stay away from their tech and to use their time more productively. The more interests your child has that do not involve technology, the less likely they will fill their day with screentime.

Once you have implemented methods to keep your child away from their devices for longer, it is then helpful to start monitoring their screentime once again. Using an app to monitor how much time your kids are spending online is valuable and will help you gain some insight into how long they spend online each day and across an entire week. You will be able to track whether your methods have helped reduce screentime effectively and see how much progress has been made.