Why Do Parents Need to Limit Screen Time for Kids?
Though screens have become a part of our routine, parents must limit screen time for kids for various reasons. For instance, cutting back on screen time may help reduce the risk of obesity, prevent a decline in eyesight, form better relationships, etc. It is particularly true for young kids who spend considerable time in front of screens instead of participating in physical activities. Let’s see how science backs up these reasons.
What Does Science Say About Limiting Screen Time?
Many scientific studies have proven that too much screen time is detrimental to kids’ mental and physical health. There are numerous other issues associated with excessive screen time apart from the ones mentioned above, such as the risk of learning impairment and a decrease in attention span.
Besides that, nobody wants their kids to become couch potatoes. Since too much screen time leads to very little face time, it may also lead to socially awkward behavior, depression, anxiety, screen/gaming/social media addiction, and more. Therefore, parents’ desperation to limit screen time for kids is entirely understandable. Here are five helpful ways to limit kids’ screen usage.
5 Effective Ways to Limit Kids’ Screen Time
Setting boundaries in the early years is one of the most crucial steps toward building better habits in kids. Parents take an interest in cutting back on screen time because kids get most of their screen time at home. Those who wish to limit screen time for their kids often struggle to find effective ways to achieve this goal. Here are a few techniques to help you get started.
- Set Clear Expectations
The first thing you can do as parents is to have an honest conversation with your kids. Set clear expectations and lay down some ground rules. Explain why it is in their vested interest to follow these rules. Tell them about the consequences of too much screen time and how what health risks are associated with excessive screen time. Just try to keep it simple and easy for them to follow if your kids are too young to understand the gravity of the situation.
- Organize Outdoor Activities
Parents must make time to organize some outdoor activities and limit screen time for kids effectively. Do some brainstorming or ask your kids what they would enjoy doing outside. You can give them a few options to consider, such as ice skating, camping, fishing, watching a game, etc. Such activities help kids foster a closer relationship with their parents. It also gives them an enjoyable reason to put away their screens.
- Create Screen-Free Zones
Lead your kids by example. Putting away screens when you get home, talking to them over dinner, asking them how their day went, etc., shows your kids that you care for them deeply. Parents can help kids establish healthy habits by creating screen-free zones. For instance, you can create a rule of ‘No devices on the dinner table.’ That allows you to spend quality time with each other.
- Be Consistent
Not buying kids their own devices at an early age is a crucial step. Parents can limit screen time by allowing kids to watch their favorite shows on the family screen. It helps you keep an eye on what they are watching, and you can bond with them too.
Once you set your foot down, be consistent with it. Develop a habit of sharing screen times. Train your kids in a way that they follow your lead. For instance, you can condition them to put down their screens when you do.
- Use Parental Controls Apps
Parents can use a parental control application to fortify their efforts to limit screen time for kids. Several top-notch apps, such as FamilyTime, provide excellent parental control features that help parents reduce screen time, set screen schedules, track locations, block websites, manage applications, screen calls & messages, etc. Let us look at how FamilyTime can help parents do more than provide basic parental control features.
FamilyTime Is Here to Help!
FamilyTime comes highly recommended in the parental community for its extraordinary features. This app has everything a parent might need, from an SOS/Panic Button to a Pick-Me-Up Button to monitoring speed limit for teens, and much more.
- It has an extensive array of functions under the screen time limitation too. For example, you can use the Limit Screen Time feature to set time limits for individual apps. But that is not all!
- Parents can schedule their kids’ devices to be inaccessible during study hours, bedtime, mealtimes, etc., with the help of the Screen Time Schedule feature.
- You may use the TimeBank feature to motivate kids to save their screen time during exams, study hours, and regular days. And, kids can use their saved-up time on special occasions with their parent’s permission using the FunTime feature.
The FamilyTime app can do a lot more than this. So visit its website to find out the full range of its features, or sign up and limit screen time for kids effortlessly. It can help make digital parenting a lot easier for you.
