Whether it’s watching TV or playing on a tablet, using tech can be super fun! Often, children find it hard to transition from an online activity to an offline one.
Today in Year 1 we learnt a routine to help us stop using tech, even when we don’t want to.
From phones and tablets to streaming movies and YouTube, tech and media are everywhere. Children love easy access to shows, games and information. Parents and carers love that children can learn on the go (and stay busy when dinner’s cooking). But it’s easy to overdo it when the phone never stops pinging and the next episode plays automatically. Families can keep media and tech use in check by following a few simple practices.
Check out these 5 tips
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Create screen-free times and zones.
Help children take breaks from tech by limiting screen time in bedrooms, during study time or at the dinner table.
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Try parental controls.
Set content limits that make sense for your family. Alongside talking about healthy media habits, use features such as content filtering, privacy settings and time limits offered by the apps and platforms to help manage access and exposure to media.
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Establish clear family rules.
Decide together what kind of media and tech is OK — and when it’s OK to use it. A family media plan can help get everyone on the same page.
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Watch and play together.
Choose quality, age-appropriate media to enjoy with your children. Visit commonsensemedia.org to find movies, shows, games and more.
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Help children identify healthy behaviours.
Practise talking about feelings — both physical and emotional — during screen and non-screen activities.
