Help youth moderate summer screens

Usually, toward the end of May, school students start thinking about how they will spend all the free time they’ll have once school lets out.

It has probably not been uncommon for students to spend lots of time on a screen each day over the last few weeks. Now, with schoolwork completed, youth will have even more time to devote to a device.

But too much tech can be a habit that creates long-term problems for kids.

“There are a lot of potential harmful effects of screen time on kids, from newborns up to late adolescents and even young adults,” Craig Anderson, PhD, distinguished professor of psychology at Iowa State University told WebMD.

When kids watch a lot of fast-paced shows that switch quickly from scene to scene, they may later have trouble when they need to focus in the classroom, Anderson says.

Kids who spend too much time in front of a screen can have other problems, too, like too little sleep or too much weight gain, says David Hill, MD, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. Plus, he says, kids who watch TV and play video games for hours each day may miss out on face-to-face opportunities to learn, time to play outside, and connections with friends. “Our greatest question should be, ‘What is this screen time displacing?’” he says.

With screens everywhere, it may seem even harder to limit a child’s time with them. But limits are worth it. Try these tips to pry them off those devices — at least, for a little while.

1. Make computers and TVs stay in the shared spaces of your home. When your kids use screens in the kitchen or living room, it’s easier to keep an eye on the shows they watch, the games they play, and the websites they’re on.

2. Add tech-free time to your family’s schedule. “At any age, kids should know there are specific times when screens stay off, like at meals and before bed,” Hill says. Even better, set aside time every week when the family does something fun together — no devices allowed.

3. Watch how often you use your own devices. If you keep your face buried in your phone, your kids won’t see a good reason why they should get off their screens. Plus, those devices affect the time you spend with your children. Researchers who studied families at fast-food restaurants noticed parents were often more focused on their smartphones than on the children at the table.

4. Make limits a regular part of screen use. When the rules are clear and consistent, you can avoid daily battles when you tell the kids it’s time to turn off the TV, computer or phone.

5. Be ready to explain different screen-time limits. After your kids have watched hours of TV at a friend’s house, they may wonder why your rules are different. “These are opportunities to have conversations with your kids about what your family’s values are,” Anderson says.

6. Help your kids find other ways to have fun. “If a child has nothing to do but stare at a screen, then we should not be surprised when that is what he or she does,” Hill says. Keep other options — art supplies, books, Frisbees, and bikes — around and ready when your kids claim there’s nothing else to do.

7. Make tech work for you. Use programs and apps that you can set to turn off computers, tablets, and smartphones after a given amount of time.

But with these electronic devices so ingrained into our culture, how should parents set boundaries for their children? Some pediatricians have generally recommended the following guidelines:

• Under two years old: Zero screen time, except for video chatting with family or friends.

• 2-5 years old: No more than one hour per day co-viewing with a parent or sibling.

• 5-17 years old: Generally, no more than two hours per day, except for homework

To support parents’ efforts, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents develop a family media use plan, which can be easily constructed on the AAP’s website at healthychildren.org.

And that’s great because, even when you add 10 hours for sleep, that leaves 10 hours for interactive family time!