
From keeping up with remote learning to staying in touch with friends and family, our screens have become indispensable to our daily lives.
However, many parents and carers are rightly worried about the impacts excessive screen usage can have on their children.
There is much being written about concepts such as ‘Internet addiction’ and screen dependency and although they are not officially recognized as psychiatric disorders, spending too much time online can have negative effects on children.
Screen dependency can manifest in many ways. Parents should watch out for the following behaviour in their child:
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using a device
- Failing to reduce or stop online activities
- Losing interests in other aspects of life
- Acting defensively when asked about screen time
- Continuing to engage in screen-based activities, despite negative consequences
- Hiding the extent of device use
- Using devices to relieve anger and sadness
1. Agree on clear and consistent rules
If your child is going online regularly, chat to them and agree on some ground rules together. These rules could include a limit on how long your child spends on their device, and for what purpose, or outline where and when they are not allowed to use it (e.g. in their bedroom, before bedtime, during meals, etc.). Parental rules are important, but ask your child for their perspective too. When your child feels listened to, they might come up with reasonable suggestions for screen engagement limits. Respecting their experiences also helps to build trust and openness between you. Some questions to ask your child could be:- What is your reason for going online? (Having a purpose is important and avoids endless hours passively scrolling which has little benefit, if any at all).
- How do you know when it’s time to switch off?
- How do you feel when you spend too much time in front of a screen?