Establishing a Healthy Digital Balance

There is no magic figure. The right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. 

It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important.

Consider your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting their face-to-face connections with family and friends? The answers to these questions will guide you and help strike the right balance of online and offline activities for your child.

Increased connectivity may have negative health impacts. Signs to watch for include:

• Less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• Not doing so well at school
• Tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain 
• Changes in eating patterns
• Reduced personal hygiene
• Obsession with particular websites or games
• Extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
• Appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• Becoming withdrawn from friends and family.

What to do if you are concerned

• Some of the behavioural changes described above are a normal part of growing up but, if you are concerned your child is struggling, try to find out why — there may be underlying issues such as cyberbullying, friendship difficulties or mental health issues. 
• As part of your conversation, ask your child about how much time they spend online and explain why it is worrying and what they could be missing out on. 
• Try not to show that you disapprove or they might shut down communication altogether. 
• Talking to your child’s school may also reveal academic or social issues, and the school may also be able to provide support.

Some helpful tips to support a healthy digital lifestyle:

• During non-school hours at home, establish time limits around when and for how long your child can be online.
• Use the available technologies — parental controls and tools to monitor online time allow you to measure and set time limits on device use or internet access. Be honest and open about why you want to use these technologies.
• Turn off notifications for social media apps to help minimise distractions.
• Depending on your child’s age, you can establish a family tech agreement that balances time spent in front of screens with offline activities. You can find templates by searching online.
• Include ‘offline’ activities in your routine at home — this can include family exercise, reading time or board games.
• Reduce your own time online to model positive behaviour.

Daniel Hunt

ICT Coordinator