There is no one report or piece of research that can say what the ’best amount’ of screen time is for young people. So, instead of focusing on a particular amount of time, it is suggested that screen time is about balance.

This newsletter includes advice from John Parsons, raisingchildren.net.au and netsafe.org.nz to help you as parents to find the right balance for screen time in your family.

John Parsons provides the following points for parents/guardians to consider when it comes to deciding how to balance screen time for young people:

Sleep: consider if your son is getting enough sleep (for most young children this is recommended to be 9-11 hours a night) and whether his device use is affecting his sleep. For example, your son should be finished screen time at least an hour prior to bedtime so he is not over-stimulated when he is going to sleep and he should not be getting up in the night or early in the morning to get extra time on a screen. Sleep is vital for effective learning, memory and attention, so screen time should not be negatively impacting this.

Movement: consider how much your son is moving on a daily basis, such as break times at school, sports and practices, getting to and from school and activities on the weekend. Exercise and being active is important for all people so if screen time is impacting how much your son moves each day then this may suggest there is too much focus on screen time and that some daily movement goals need to be put into place.

Learning: consider what your son’s teachers are saying about his learning and progress at school. If your son is achieving at the level that is expected for him and he is generally focused and engaged at school then this would suggest that, combined with his sleep and movement, his screen time is being balanced out well alongside other important factors in his life. If you do have concerns about your son’s ability to focus and learn, which cannot be explained by other factors or this may be a recent change, then it could be helpful to consider the impact screen time may be having for your son.

The Australian parenting website raisingchildren.net.au adds to and develops John Parsons’ advice. I encourage you to visit this webpage, School age screen time: tips for balance, which focuses on “tips for balance” as well as a video about creating a family technology plan. Here are its key points:

• Screen time can be part of a healthy lifestyle when it is balanced with other activities that are good for school-age development.

• Physical play, creative play, reading, socialising and sleep are important for school-age development.

• Family rules can help you balance screen time and other activities for school-age children.

In addition to suggesting screen time be used in short sessions with regular breaks, this website also suggests parents consider where your son can use his technology, such as only in family rooms and not in the car; when he can use his technology, such as not at meal times or before school; and how he can use it, such as focusing on learning or creative activities over games. For further tips and ideas to ensure you and your son are making good choices about screen time, understand its benefits and risks and know more about its content, you could visit this page: Screen time: checklist for healthy use, which is also from raisingchildren.net.au.

In addition to the points already discussed above,Netsafe.org.nz adds some useful ideas about understanding what your son is doing with his screen time and helping him to manage his own screen time. Netsafe encourages parents to take the time to understand what your son is doing online; he may be learning, creating, communicating and connecting with his friends. If his screen time use is beneficial to his learning, creative or social needs it may be that you are able to provide more time on certain occasions. Also, take the time to help your son manage his screen time by talking with him about how much time he thinks he is on a screen each day, how he knows if he has had too much time on a screen and what the benefits are of being on a screen as well as doing other things off a screen. I encourage you to read Netsafe's Screen time advice for parents, in full.

I hope that this newsletter has provided you with some useful ideas and resources to help you develop the best balance for your son’s screen time.

Image sourced from: Netsafe.org.nz: Screen time advice for parents

Jenelle Hooson

Jenelle is a Registered Provisional Member with NZAC (New Zealand Association of Counsellors).

If you wish to discuss the services the School Counsellor can provide, please see your son’s homeroom teacher or Scott Johnson: scott.johnson@medbury.school.nz.