Useful Tips to Reduce Screen Time of Your Kids

Whether your little ones are watching their favourite cartoon while eating food, playing an educational game or colouring on the phone, they may be spending too much time watching screens- which is not good for their vision and mental health.

It can cause various health concerns in children, including sleep disturbances, behavioural issues, eye strain, concentration problems, anxiety, reduced physical activities, headaches, higher risk of obesity, poor eating habits and much more.

The more time spent on screens, the less time they have to play outdoors. Getting involved in physical activities play a pivotal role in the overall development of children. It can develop their physical health while boost social, emotional and cognitive skills.

As responsible parents, we are sharing a few tips and tricks to help reduce screen time for your children.

Age-Appropriate Screen Time Limits for Kids:

Have a look at the screen time limits recommended by doctors in Australia:

No screen time for kids below 2
One hour screen time per day for kids aged between 2 and 12
Two hours per day for teens

1. Communication is a Must

If you want to reduce screen time, you need to set expectations. Start by having clear and constructive conversation about screen-time limits, and why it is important. Ask for their queries, problems and understand their emotions. They may not accept the new restrictions but you need to keep motivating them and help them understand the importance of reduced screen time.

2. Set Realistic Goals

It is important to set realistic goals for your kids. Experts in Australia recommend parents to set smaller goals, such as reducing screen time by an hour. This won’t drastically change their regular habits and won’t affect their behavior.

You can introduce new activities instead to promote outdoor games and physical activities.

3. Keep Your Kids Engaged

Working parents hardly get time to take their kids outside for fun games. That is one of the reasons why kids in metropolitan cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, etc spend more time sitting on the couch and watching TV. This can also affect their eating habits and cause obesity.

So, create a schedule and reduce your screen time as well. You can take your kids outside and keep them engaged at least for half an hour. Play with time in the backyard and enjoy quality time.

4. Delegate Fun Cleaning tasks

Involve your kids in the cleaning tasks and teach them the importance of cleaning from an early age. This will keep them equipped and won’t miss their screen time. You can delegate age-appropriate tasks, such as dusting surfaces, folding clothes, putting toys into a bag, etc.

5. Create a Phone-Free Dining Zone at Home

Develop healthy eating habits in Kid by restricting phones and other devices in your dining area. This is one of the most important things every parent should develop for their growing kids.