How To Manage Your Kid's Screentime

 Modern parenting looks a lot different to the way your parents did it, thanks to the changes in technology that we've seen in the last couple of decades. Now, you need to decide how you'll manage the amount of screentime that your children get. It can be daunting, especially when it feels like everything is online these days. It can be done though, so here's how you can set these boundaries for your family.

Understand Your Child's Needs

 Like everything in parenting, your actions will be dictated in part by who your child is as a person. Some children need more rules around the amount of screentime they get. Others need guidance on online safety. As such, you need to evaluate your child first, and see what needs to be done.

For example, do they struggle adjusting to bedtime when they've had screentime right beforehand? If so, then you'll need to create boundaries around this, to make the transition easier. Remember not to compare your kids to others you know. It's about them, and your family's needs.

Understand Your Own Screen Usage

 As you know, you can't ask your child to do something if you wouldn't do it. Think about how you use screens yourself? Everyone is guilty of spending too much time on social media, but do you have a habit of making your child wait when you're checking something online? Do you check your phone the moment you wake up?

If so, then you'll need to consider changing the way you use screens yourself. You can approach making changes in screentime as a whole family, which helps your child as you're modeling good boundaries around it.

Start Setting Limits

 Again, the kinds of limits you set will depend on you and your child, but you'll want to start placing those time limits on screen use. “If you're not sure what the limits should be, you can find guidance on games and social media accounts for children” says Rachel Daniels, an educator at Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. “These will give you a good starting point.”

Remember that some screen time isn't always a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with letting kids watch a show or watch videos on your phone once in a while. It just shouldn't be the go to activity every time. Remember that it's good for kids to be bored once in a while, as it spurs them to use their imagination.

Work To Understand Your Child

 As you start to change screentime in your home, you will likely see that your child struggles with the adjustment. That's especially true when they play video games, as they're designed to keep the player engaged.

It can be frustrating, but the best thing to do is work with your child, and try to understand their point of view. Listen to your child, and try to understand their point of view. From there, you can work on problem solving together. That may mean creating limits on certain media or making a screentime contract.

Educate Your Child About Safety

 As your child gets older, your role with screentime will change. You'll need to educate your child about online safety, and show them how to question the information they'll see online. “This is vital as your child grows older” says writer Kevin Bowman, from Origin Writings and Brit Student. “As the content they consume matures, they need to understand how to evaluate it, and not take it at face value.”

Get Professional Help

 You may follow all of these steps, but find that your child is still struggling with limits around screentime. You may see that they're especially anxious, upset, or angry about it. If this is the case, then it's a good idea to talk to a professional. In these cases, there may be some underlying needs that you can work together to address with your child, and help them develop a healthy relationship with screens.

With these tips, you'll be able to set those boundaries around screentime, and ensure that everyone in your family has a much healthier relationship with them over time. Making these changes now will set you up for success in the future.

George J. Newton is a writer at Write my literature review and Dissertation writing service, where he covers parenting tips. He's also a writer for Next Coursework.