By Kayla DeKraker
Summer vacation is around the corner for many families, leaving many parents concerned about what technology use will look like for their children.
Parental control app Bark shared some tips on how to keep this in balance while the weather is hot.
One suggestion? “Get creative with screen time rules.”
This could look like not allowing screen time, allowing one minute of screen time per minute played outside or encouraging book time before screen time. Regardless of what rules are, Barks notes that “The key with these rules is to be clear, consistent, and make sure they work with your family’s vibe. It will also take work, so make sure you have the time and energy to enforce them.”
Movieguide® suggests setting screen time limits, saying, “Establish clear and consistent screen time limits for different activities, such as TV, video games and social media.”
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children aged 2 to 5 years should have no more than one hour of high-quality screen time per day, and children under 18 months should avoid screen time altogether,” Movieguide® wrote.
Bark also suggests parents “Try and keep [kids] busy.”
Bark encourages families to try to plan fun daily activities such as “Legos, music, and sports.” This can help littles stay busy with productive activities instead of turning to screens.
Bark also makes it a point to say that it is okay for kids to be bored. “When kids get bored, they can start using their imaginations again, whether it’s building a living room fort, pulling out that box of legos again, or discovering that box of old-school records your spouse keeps in the basement,” the group said.
Related: 5 Tips to Help Your Child Manage Their Screen Time
They noted that “You don’t have to have every moment scheduled as long as you have some crayons, paper, toys, books, music, playdates, and maybe a sprinkler.”
When kids do use screens, parents monitor their children’s activities, keeping open communication with their kids about the dangers of the internet.
Digital parenting coach Elizabeth Milovidov told The Guardian, “It’s not about controlling our children, and it’s not about fear. It is about empowering them to make smart decisions, and we do that when they are at a very young age. We are trying to teach them how to behave when we are not in the room, when we are not looking over their shoulder — that’s what digital guardianship is.”
She also noted that conversations need to happen in an “age-appropriate manner.”
“You’ve got to give them some strategies beforehand about what to do if somebody tries to show them something that they know is not appropriate,” Milovidov said.
Luke Savage, senior project officer at NSPCC Child Safety Online, shared some practical safety tips on how to protect children, starting with your wifi router. “That’s where you can block inappropriate websites and things like that,” he said. Directions on how to block harmful content via the router can be found through the provider’s website.
Setting up parental controls on the games or devices your child uses can add extra protection.
Although limiting screen time may be difficult, it is a valuable practice that can only benefit your child, and there are many great resources to support you along the way.
Read Next: Americans Use These Tools to Limit Their Screen Time
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +1