It’s a challenge year-round, but especially over the summer, as kids may spend a lot of time watching screens to occupy themselves.
And while devices and other screens may have a place in a child’s life, health experts say too much use can lead to problems.
Parents are busy and tired; sometimes, it’s just easier to use screens as a distraction or a babysitter, and drawing a hard line on it is unrealistic.
But the summer is also an important time for family bonding and for kids to explore and grow without the school structure; screens take away from that.
Children and teens watch screens, from gaming consoles to TVs, smartphones, and tablets.
“Most children, school-aged children, are spending an excess of seven hours a day on screens,” said Wendy Palmer.
Palmer with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta says recommended screen times vary based on a child’s age, but for those old enough to go to school, less than two hours a day is the recommendation, even over the summer when kids have more time on their hands.
“Screen time, when it is excessive, can impact sleep,” Palmer said. “It can impact physical activity, and most recently, the clearest evidence is really looking at the impact of excessive screen time on youth mental health.”
To limit summer screen time, keep some school year routines in place and set screen-free zones, especially in bedrooms or on short car rides. Use that time to talk to each other instead.
Commit to having no devices at dinner, which goes for parents, too. And it’s ok for your kids to be bored.
“Boredom is a necessary component to kids really learning and adapting and figuring out how else can they entertain themselves,” Palmer said.
Palmer says to encourage kids to be active and to play in person with others, whether that’s outdoors or inside.
“Drawing,” Palmer said. “Thinking about writing. Thinking about reading. Really encouraging some of those behaviors that our kids may now associate with, ‘Well, I go to school, and I do those things. Those are certainly opportunities at home.”
Regarding screen time for younger kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics breaks it down by age group.
Children under 18 months should avoid screen time except for video chatting.
Children between 18 and 24 months should be limited to watching educational programming with a caregiver. And children two to five should be limited to about one hour per day.
The effect on long-term attentiveness and sleep disruption seems clear, but on that note, all screen time isn’t equal, as scrolling TikTok videos most likely will have a different effect than watching 30-minute nature videos, and that’s where parental judgment plays a role.