You might hear me say this and think we’re out of our minds. Perhaps you envision our children glued to screens, trapped in a world of endless shows, video games, and YouTube rabbit holes, with no sunlight or social interactions in sight. You could assume I’m just being lazy (I admit I can be sometimes) or that I don’t care about my kids’ future academic success. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Honestly, I’d struggle to keep track of how much screen time the kids are logging each day, and frankly, I have no desire to do so. I won’t be the parent running around with a timer, announcing, “Your time is almost up!” That would give me a headache if someone did that to me, so I won’t do it to my kids.
I know my own strengths and weaknesses as a parent. I’m not the type who can maintain a detailed chore chart or stick to a weekly meal plan. My scheduling system resembles a chaotic jumble of appointments, and we’re just lucky if we make it to our destinations on time. To all the super-organized parents out there, I salute you! (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.)
My parenting style is all about improvisation, plenty of optimism, and a knack for dropping everything to treat the kids to ice cream. Monitoring daily screen time isn’t a priority for me. If I notice they’ve been on their devices for a while, or if their whining reaches a pitch that makes the neighbor’s dogs bark, I encourage them to head outside or dive into a book.
And you know what? This approach works for us.
We do keep an eye on what they watch. We have designated “tech-free” times, like during meals. We ensure they don’t spend every waking hour indoors staring at screens, but we don’t micromanage their screen usage either. No timers in this house!
Interestingly, the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics seem to align with our philosophy (go me!). They suggest creating a family media plan that considers each child’s health, education, and entertainment needs. For kids aged 2 to 5, they recommend limiting screen time to no more than one hour a day. But I don’t know about your little ones—getting mine to sit still for five minutes was always a challenge, so I’m not particularly concerned. Their main message is to use common sense.
Also, my kids aren’t the type to want to be glued to a screen all day, which keeps my stress levels down. As I write this, they’re having a friendly competition on who can stay on the pogo stick the longest, and earlier today, they constructed a fort outside using branches and spent hours playing in our VW van. Not a screen in sight, and I didn’t have to say a word. Shhh…
Allowing them to self-manage their screen time fosters self-regulation and independence without me hovering to ensure their minds aren’t being fried by too much tech. Sure, there are moments when I tell them to “go be bored!” because they’re struggling to detach from the screen’s glow. But as long as they’re not acting like mindless zombies, I’m perfectly fine with it. Technology has its merits, and I appreciate my own screen time just as much as they do.
In today’s world, we face different challenges than previous generations. Many of us work from home, setting an example of screen use for hours on end. Plus, technology isn’t going anywhere; we all need to figure out how to navigate it within our own families. Screen time enforcement isn’t a battle I’m willing to fight, so I mostly let them self-regulate.
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Summary
In our household, we don’t impose strict screen time limits. Instead, we focus on monitoring content and maintaining tech-free zones. This approach allows our kids to self-regulate their screen usage while still engaging in outdoor and creative activities. It’s all about balance and common sense, adapting to modern life’s challenges.
Keyphrase
Screen time limits for kids
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