How to Set Screen Time Limits for You and Your Children
By Movieguide® Contributor
Setting screen time limits for yourself and your kids just got a whole lot easier.
A video posted to Familyguide’s YouTube walks viewers through a step-by-step process on how to use the “screen time” feature on their iPhones.
Once in settings, “you can look at the 10th item on your screen is called screen time,” Familyguide shared. “This is an important tool, and it’s not just a thing you can use for for kids; it’s something you can also use for yourself to make sure that you are living a life that is in the moment with your kids, spending time focusing on God, focusing on family, focusing on all the things you need to and not being consumed by technology.”
Once in the screen time settings, users can see what their daily average of screen time is.
There is also another feature on there called “downtime.”
“Downtime is a feature that once I hit this certain time of the day, my phone will fade out almost all apps. You can turn on the schedule of downtime, and it will tell you a certain period of time so maybe you want to be able to do it at 5:00,” the video explained. “Maybe when you get back from work at 5:30 or 6:00, you just want to put down your phone and just focus on your family. You can use downtime, and then what it does is it makes all of your apps totally fade out. You can still use them if you have to. If you’re in an emergency, don’t worry you can use them, but they’re going to be faded out.”
Another option in the screen time settings is to set time limits for certain apps.
“You can click on app limits and then you can choose what apps that you want to be able to add limits to,” it continued. “So, you can either choose a category like social, games, entertainment, creativity, productivity and finance, education, information and reading, health and fitness, utilities, shopping, food, travel and others. You can even choose websites.”
Once inside a category, you can choose when the downtime is going to be.
If a user wants to be more present for their children on the weekends, they can set a scheduled downtime for Saturday and Sunday.
Movieguide® has also included steps to setting screen time limits for children:
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Set Screen Time Limits: 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.
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Create Screen-Free Zones: Designate specific areas in your home, such as the dining room or bedrooms, where screens are not allowed. This helps prevent screens from intruding on family time and sleep.
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Be a Role Model: Children often emulate the behavior of adults. If you want your child to spend less time on screens, be a positive role model by reducing your own screen time and engaging in non-screen activities.
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Provide Alternative Activities: Encourage your child to engage in alternative activities like reading, outdoor play, creative arts and crafts, or board games. Make these activities readily available and appealing.
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Plan Screen Time: Instead of allowing unrestricted screen access, plan screen time as a part of your child’s daily routine. Set specific times for screen use, such as after homework or chores are completed.
