Managing Screen Time During the Holidays

With technology evolving so rapidly, there is great concern about the amount of time children and adolescents spend every day looking at digital screens, like smartphones, computers and television. This topic is especially timely during the holidays when kids have time off school. In addition to them filling free time with digital media at home, they may receive technology gifts like smart toys, video games and computer tablets. How does screen time affect young people? How much is too much? And what can you do to minimize the time your children spend in front of screens? A local pediatrician provided answers to these questions and shared sage advice for parents to manage screen time during the holidays.

Screen Time Tips and Guidelines

“The American Academy of Pediatrics says there should be zero screen time for children under the age of 2, unless it is video chatting with out-of-town family members,” advised Rishika Singh, MD, a board-certified Washington Township Medical Foundation pediatrician. “From ages 2 to 5, about one hour a day should be the limit, and after age 5 they recommend no more than two hours daily. Of course, children may be exposed to screens at school for educational purposes, but I tell parents to limit recreational screen time, like TV or video games, to one or a maximum of two hours,” she said.

Dr. Singh recommends parents create a plan to set expectations with their children on how much time will be spent on digital media. The rest of the time should be scheduled to participate in sports or hobbies, play boardgames together, or spend time outside. She refers parents to HealthyChildren.org where they can type, “Family Media Plan,” into the homepage search bar. Here, they will find an interactive online tool that helps set media priorities that matter most to the family. The plan can be customized to each family’s needs and includes tips to make it work. A plan can also include the option to save the plan and return to make updates or changes as needed.

“It is important to consistently talk with your child about what they may be exposed to on social media and reiterate that not everything they see online is true or real,” explained Dr. Singh. “Adults also spend a lot of time looking at their smartphones, so I also remind parents they are role models for their children when it comes to screen time. When you are all home at the same time, have everyone put their phones down, turn off the television and spend time talking or doing something together. During the holidays, you can decorate, wrap gifts or go for a walk together. Also, do not allow devices at the dinner table and consider having an ‘Electronic Free Sunday,’ or another designated time each day or week when electronic devices are shut off.”

Excessive Online Effects

Dr. Singh points out some of the negative effects that too much time consuming digital media has on children and teenagers, including:

• Depression and anxiety in teenagers, which is being reported in epidemic proportions.
• Time away from other important activities that are important to the development process, such as arts and crafts, in-person socializing, and outdoor recreation.
• Less patience and shorter attention spans, since young people find real life less stimulating and lacking the instant gratification they get on the internet.
• Body image issues for teens (both girls and boys) due to their exposure to heavily curated and often unrealistic beauty standards presented on social media platforms. This can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their own bodies.

We should not be concerned about all digital media content children are consuming, reminds Dr. Singh. There is good educational content on television channels like PBS, YouTube channels that provide useful information about their hobbies, and Pinterest sites to browse and post about their various interests. “Consuming digital content is not always a bad thing unless a child, or adult for that matter, spends too much time in front of a screen when they could be socializing, exercising or doing something else productive. Everything in moderation,” Dr. Singh concluded.