Digital Detox: Helping Kids Strike a Balance Between Screens

Amy Williams - 27 Apr 18

A recent report stated that our children spend an average of 9 hours everyday watching media, looking at a screen of some kind. Sure, that number covers televisions, smartphones, computers, tablets, and more, but the initial impact of that number is jaw dropping. When we take a moment to step back and do a little math- this statistic is downright frightening! Take one second to add up all the hours in a week our kids are spending staring at a screen and it adds up to 63 combined hours! That is more time than most adults work at a full time job and equivalent to over 2 and a half days worth of solid screen time.

YIKES!

As if parents didn’t need one more thing to worry about. Now, we have to consider how our kids’ beloved screens are impacting their overall development and health. Thankfully, with a little awareness, education, and mindfulness, we can help our kids strike a balance between screens so they can reclaim their childhoods and wellbeing. Afterall, too much of a good thing can be detrimental to our sons and daughters.

7 Reasons Kids Need a Digital Detox

While we can acknowledge that technology and our kids’ devices do have a time and place, it’s important to note all this time looking at a glowing screen can have some adverse effects on our children. If you are on the fence about the need for a digital detox, we have listed a few ways technology might be harming our children:

• Our boys and girls are missing out on important face-to-face interactions with us and peers which can stunt their emotional and social growth.
• The more time kids spend swiping a screen means they are missing out on valuable play time which can hinder learning.
• The rates of cyberbullying have tripled within the last several years- now 87 percent of our youth admit to having encountered these awful behaviors.
• The rapid pace of games, social media, and information can trigger responses in the brain which may lead to addictions down the road.
• The glowing screens from our digital devices can interfere with sleep schedules and alerts from our devices can disrupt their sleep.
• There is a link between excessive use of social media and feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and weakened mental health.
• Too much time spent using devices and smartphone can cause physical ailments to surface, such as: sore joints, stiff necks, bad posture, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Helping Kids Strike a Balance Between Screens

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. Today’s technology and digital devices are wonderful tools that can connect our children to a world of knowledge, ideas, resources, and provide enhanced ways to communicate. We just need to help our kids learn moderation when it comes to the role technology plays in their lives. To help on this journey, we have compiled a digital detox guide for helping kids strike a balance between screens:

Implement a family technology contract. Sit down as a family and outline all your expectations, guidelines, and rules for using technology devices. This document should also clearly state the consequences if the agreement is broken. An hour or two working together on a technology contract can prevent a lot of problems associated with too much technology down the road.

Create technology free zones in the home. Keep devices in common living areas, away from family dinners, and out of bedrooms. Hopefully, this will give kids ample time to use their devices, but also provide safe havens to unplug.

• Institute a technology curfew. In your home, choose a reasonable “lights out” policy where everyone powers down their technology devices for the night.
• Consider allowing kids to earn technology and screen time. For every hour spent playing outside, reading, doing chores, or studying, give kids 15 minutes of screen time to use during the week.
• Limit their data on cellphones, tablets, and other wireless devices. If kids can’t have unlimited browsing or streaming capabilities, typically they are more diligent about how they spend their time using technology.
• Reinstate family game night. Instead of allowing kids to mindlessly stare at a screen, occupy their time with some good old fashioned games. Make it fun and enjoy the time bonding and laughing together.
• Begin an ongoing discussion about balancing technology. Chances are pretty likely that our sons and daughters have witnessed the downside of too much tech. Maybe their friends ignored their conversation while they sat texting or we made them feel unimportant when we answered that work email. Whatever the case, begin a conversation about technology and the role it should play in our lives.

What tips can you share for helping kids with a digital detox?

Amy Williams

View profile for posts, events and more info