How to Limit Screen Time Without a Fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8w31XtlMlU
We’ve shared some ideas on how to talk to your kids about screen time limits. Now, Kayla is back with some practical tips on how to make it happen. Here’s what she suggests:
Create a plan
Give them a two-minute warning when it’s time to power off
Offer more time as a positive reinforcement reward
Check out the video below and let us know how it goes! Visit our website to reach out and discover more resources.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
I’m Dr. Kayla Leleux-LaBarge and today I want to talk to parents about screen time.
You know, we're moving into summer and away from schooling at home so we're expecting that screen time should decrease.
But with the pandemic still going strong, we need to be mindful of balancing kids' screen time.
All of us--not just our kids--are guilty of being on screen and the issue is that kids spending too much time on screens--whether it be on their phone or iPad or iPod or games--can have super negative effects long term on social-emotional and other developmental milestones.
So, today, I just want to give you three easy tips for balancing screen time with your kiddo.
First, get with your kiddo and create a screen time plan. This plan should include how much time is acceptable each day--maybe one to two hours. Get an agreement with your child going.
Make sure that they know and understand, maybe even put it in writing. Make a little schedule that you both can agree on and hold them to it.
Another thing to use is when they are getting to the end of their time on the screen, make sure you're giving them a warning.
I usually like to recommend a 2 to 5-minute warning. Just let them know that their time has come so they can start to internally transition off of the screen and into their life.
Then, lastly, we just want to make sure that we are incentivizing screen time so screen time shouldn't just be a given whenever and wherever--it really can be used as a reward.
So, let's say your kid does a really great job that day. It may be that day that you add 5 or 10 more minutes of screen time to your agreed-upon plan.
See how your kid responds and reacts to these little simple and easy ways that help you and your kiddo balance screen time a little bit more. I hope you all are doing well out there and I can't wait to see you all again soon!