From Guidelines to Reality: Mastering Screen Time for Kids

Published on

August 6, 2024

Self control

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In today’s digital world, managing screen time for your children is more important than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic saw screen usage skyrocket, with studies showing significant increases from almost 0.75 hours to over 6.5 hours daily. While screens can be a great resource for learning and occasional entertainment, overuse can lead to developmental delays, obesity, and even mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

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Let’s take a look at the pediatric guidelines on screen-time for children recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):

Age group	Medical Guideline	Avg daily hours of screen use
0-2 years	0 mins	49 minutes
2-4 years	1 hour	2.5 hours
5-7 years	2-3 hours	3 hours
8-10 years	2-3 hours	6 hours
11-14 years	2-3 hours	9 hours
15-18 years	2-3 hours	7.5 hours

As one can imagine, life looks a little different from the guidelines.

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To Consider: Risks of Unregulated and Unintentional Screen-use

A recent study looking at the association between increasing screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic and physical/cognitive issues in children concluded a dose-response relationship between screen time and mental health issues. That is, for every additional hour of screen time above the recommended 2 hour/day limit on screen usage, there was an increase in the likelihood of developing depression and unhealthy weight gain in preschool children.

Also, in the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health analysis of participants, Bakour et al. found that adolescent participants between 10-17 years of age with more than 4 hours of screen time usage had the highest prevalence of overweight/obesity (36.6%).

Tamana et al. looked at the association between screen-time and pre-school behaviour and found that children aged 3 to 5 years old exposed to more than the recommended 2 hours/day screen time limit had an increase in behavioural problems at 5 years old, which makes this age group 7.7x more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis.

Some other risks include increase in behavioural issues, delay in cognitive and speech development, reduced sleep quality, and eye-strain/headaches.

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Screen-time: Not all Bad! (In fact, far from it)

When it comes to screen-time, quality matters.

Intentional, high-quality screen-use can be beneficial for your child:

Enhance Social Connection. Staying connected with family and friends when in-person interactions are not possible.

Improved Physical Health. Fun, age-appropriate fitness apps can integrate more physical activity into daily routines.
Increase in Educational Opportunities. Studies have shown that interactive ‘learn-to-read’ apps and ebooks can build early literacy by providing practice with letters, phonics, word recognition, and story comprehension.
Encourage Family Bonding. Share experiences with your child by singing along with songs on YouTube or watching movies together.

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So, how do we avoid the risks, unlock the benefits, and navigate the confusion around screen-use?

Here are some guiding principles:

Co-view	Curate or be Curious	Communicate	Confirm
Based on the age of your child, be with them as they access electronic devices. When watching programming with your child, discuss what you're watching and educate your child about advertising and commercials.	Research games and apps before allowing your child to install or access them (platforms such as Common Sense media are great for vetting!) Seek out interactive programming that engages your child, rather than those that just require pushing and swiping or staring at the screen. For older children, ask your child regularly what programs, games and apps they are playing.	Establish an agreement or family media plan around expectations of them to gain and maintain access to a device Graduated plan: when they demonstrate responsible behavior consistently on shared devices; same for Establish controls: no screens at dinner time, no video calling in rooms and bathrooms, no screens 60-90 minutes before bed-time	That you are willing to uphold the expectations you are asking of them. That you are there for them as they navigate the confusing world of digital media. That you understand them. Educate yourself and have open conversations about important and difficult topics in digital safety: cyber-bullying, sexting, etc.

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Best Practices for Families

Creating a balanced digital environment requires clear strategies. While completely mitigating screen-time might be counter-intuitive, take a harm-reduction approach instead:

Conduct a family screen-use audit for better insights on the example elders are setting for their children (number of hours, individual based or co-viewing, channels or apps most frequented)
Establish a family media plan that outlines specific screen time limits and expectations
20-20-20 rule - For every 20 minutes of screen use, remove your focus from the screen for 20 seconds to an object that is approximately 20 feet away.
Encourage offline activities like reading and outdoor play, and designate specific screen-free times (such as family meals) throughout the day.

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Offline Activities to Encourage Screen Alternatives

Take a look at some of these screen-alternatives for different age groups:

0-2 years	2-5 years	5-12 years
Mirror - Mirror Kid Friendly Cabinets Tactile Toys Household Toy Box	Singing songs and nursery rhymes Read to your toddler Sensory board Playdough Painting Hide and Seek Obstacle Course Playing with Water Dressing up Hands on Games	Exploring outside Den Building Family game night Memory Tray Baking Coloring Musical instruments

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Takeaways

Balancing screen time doesn't mean eliminating it—it means integrating it healthily into our children's lives. By choosing quality content, setting clear guidelines, and engaging in media literacy, we can help our children grow into informed and thoughtful digital citizens.