Why is limiting screen time for children and young people a good idea?

“Summer holidays can be a great time to explore new interests and places with your children and make special memories for life. But it can be very tempting for children, young people – and parents! – to spend their extra free time on their phones and other devices. 

“We know that a good balance of screen time and other activities helps children stay physically and mentally healthy. Being outside, connecting face to face with friends, and joining in family activities builds confidence and social skills in children.  

“Spending time away from screens, especially before bed, also helps us wind down naturally and have a better quality of sleep.”  

What is an appropriate level of screen time? 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) professional network recommendations for screen time are: 

• For children less than two-years-old: no screen time, other than video chatting with family. 

• For children two- to four-years-old: up to one hour of screen time per day. 

• For older children: focus on limiting non-educational screen time and encouraging healthy habits.  

While these recommendations are helpful to keep in mind, the most important thing is making sure that screen time doesn’t replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face interaction. 

How can parents limit screen time effectively with their kids? 

Set healthy screen time limits 

“You can work together with your kids to set healthy limits on screen time. Consider agreeing as a family when and where screens can be used.  

“Try to model healthy habits yourself, even though things like working from home can make taking time away from screens hard for adults too. Make sure you spend some time away from your own screens outside of working hours and plan some activities together as a family.   

“Setting parental controls or timers on your devices can help encourage breaks away from your screen too. 

“It’s also a good idea to have screen-free times – like during mealtimes or an hour before bed – and screen-free zones, like your child’s bedroom.” 

Swap screen time for activity time 

You can offer fun and engaging activities to help your kids to spend time away from their screens, things like:   

• Getting crafty: provide some pens, paper, sticky tape, string, and cardboard boxes, and let your children use their imagination to create something. 

• Making a cosy hideout: build a cushion fort or den in your living room and take turns telling stories. 

• Putting on a home play: encourage your children to come up with a show that they can perform for the whole family. 

• Having a dance party: put on your favourite music, turn off the lights, and have a living room disco. 

• Playing some games: pull out an old favourite board game or your children could come up with their own new game for you all to play. 

Spend some time in nature 

Getting outside into nature is another great way to spend time with your kids. Some easy and free outdoor activities could be:  

• Going on a nature treasure hunt: make a list of interesting things to find in your garden, park, or woods. 

• Making a nature collage together: go on a walk around your neighbourhood and collect interesting things from nature that you can arrange into a picture on the ground or glue to a piece of paper. 

• Making a bug hotel. 

• Cloud spotting. 

• Making an obstacle course. 

• Making and enjoying a picnic together in your garden or local park. 

Don't stress out about it

We know that it can be tough balancing holidays with work, and while we hope this advice is useful, the final decision in how much screen time you allow for your children is your choice to make.  

The most important thing is to prioritise spending time together enjoying the summer break and making memories as a family as much as you can!