Here are our best tips for screen time.

1. CCC.

A great rule is to think CCC – child, content and context. The child’s own interests should be the guiding light – having fun is a given. When it comes to content, quality trumps quantity – time spent is not the key indicator of screen time, the quality of the content the child interacts with is more important. Context is the final aspect to keep in mind. By context we mean how we as adults interact with kids when they are using a screen in some form. It’s important to participate in digital activities through showing interest and appreciation for the child’s accomplishments. This boost the child’s self confidence and allows you as a parent to stay in the loop with what happens when your kids use digital devices. It’s also a good idea to connect things that happen digitally to similar events in our analog world. Read more from the New York Times here.  

2. Warm light.

Blue light from mobile phones and tablets can be straining for the eyes. On many devices there are now options for making the light warmer, reducing the stress for the eyes. On Apple products you find this option under Displays & Brightness > Night Shift > Color Temperature. You can increase the warmth of the light in the screen to reduce blue light here. Additionally, you can schedule when you want the setting to take effect and whether you want warmer lights only in the evenings, for instance. For Samsung phones you go to Settings > Display > Blue Light Filter. If you have a different device, check setting or search the internet for instructions. There is not conclusive evidence that blue light is harmful, but it can make the eyes tired and changing the settings is an easy way to relieve this.

3. Get moving!

Make sure the child takes break and moves around! Physical activity is very important, especially for small kids. A fun way to integrate movement is to do a jumping jack every time the child finishes a math challenge in the Zcooly game. By moving, we release endorphins and feel better! Movement also increases learning!

4. Set boundaries.

Talk with your child and create clear rules for when and how long to use a screen. By including the child in the decision you create a common ground which is easier to stick to, but it’s always you as a parent who has the final say if there are disagreements. The goal is to create healthy habits that kids can bring with them into their adult life – digital tools are here to stay!

5. Meaningful screen time.

Make screen time meaningful! Here at Zcooly we work every day to enable all kids to learn math in a fun and educational way. We do that through creating meaningful screen time. Read more about our math game here.

Some last words..

To wrap up, we want to mention that there is a growing movement to remove focus from the term screen time because it is a negatively loaded term for a wide variety of activities. YouTube, TV, Netflix, using a calculator on a phone, writing notes on a computer, playing games, a video call with grandpa – these are all screen time. It’s hard, and probably not beneficial, to group all of these activities into a single term.

We hope this list will help you make decisions that work for your family.