Understanding the balance between screen time and children's health
Screens and technology are a fairly new part of childhood. Many parents and grandparents today didn’t grow up with constant use of technology and the internet.
Phones, TVs, video games, and computers were mostly stationary or at least not rooted in our pockets or integrated into every activity of the day, like they are today.
The boundaries between technology and daily life activities were clearer. They were naturally embedded in the limitations and construction of the devices back then; We didn’t bring the TV with us to the bathroom or write emails during family dinners, and Game Boys weren’t allowed in the classroom.
Today it’s different. The nuanced function of smartphones and the popularity of social media have completely changed our habits around technology.
First of all, we can carry our social networks, news media, TV, phones, video games, and our favorite books, right in our pocket, and access them at any time during the day.
Secondly, the companies behind our favorite apps go to great lengths to find ways to attract our attention to the screen and make staying away as difficult as possible.
And the result: people are glued to their screens everywhere we look, fighting to cut down and stay offline. Entertainment, friendships, and communication have become ingrained in social media apps and technology, and made it hard to put the phone away even if we wanted to.
How does screen time affect development, and why is reducing screen time important?
Today’s culture around screens has become the online culture our kids grow up with. It’s hard for them to imagine anything else. It’s a default part of our children's lives, waiting for them to enter and explore as they grow.
It’s a new way of growing up, and for some children, screens are not only consuming their attention but their entire childhood. Consequently, parents and professionals alike worry about the effects of screen time on child development.
Of course, there is a lot to gain from technology and the online world. However, without boundaries and the maturity needed to self-regulate attention, children easily become consumed by the constant stream of entertainment. Even adults who are naturally more capable of self-regulation and impulse control struggle at times.
Screens attract children's attention like magnets, not leaving much for the outside world.
However, children need real-world interactions, activities, and experiments as part of healthy development.
Our brains and bodies are not meant to develop through a highly stimulating virtual world while sitting still. The younger the child, the more important this interaction with the environment is for their development.
Consequently, the time in front of the screen is not only about what is on the screen and how those intense stimulations will affect the developing brain, but it is also about everything children are not doing when they are online.
For a young child learning every minute they are awake, hours in front of a screen can rob them of valuable experiences with their surroundings and other people, and keep them from essential physical activity.
Screen time and health issues of various kinds have been linked in multiple research studies, suggesting that the changing circumstances for childhood development inevitably will have some consequences for children's health.
For example, there is research pointing to screen time causing vision problems in childhood. Additionally, there are concerns about whether there could be a connection between screen time and child mental health. This strongly suggests that excessive screen use is affecting different areas of children's development and well-being.
Studies show that there are positive effects of reducing screen time, and that students benefit greatly from mobile-free schools, both academically and in their mental health.
Of course, there is a difference between the different types of screen time. Watching an educational video is not the same as endless scrolling on social media.
And gaming with friends, making strategies to win a team-based battle, is not the same as playing a hectic, high-paced video game only created to keep the player’s attention in order to show a stream of commercials.
However, even good screen time can be too much, no matter how old the child is. Keeping a healthy balance is important. Finding that balance can be challenging, and keeping it without conflicts or meltdowns even more so.
How can parents control screen time?
As parents, we often wonder how to set limits. The question ‘how long should a child have screen time?’ is one we hear often.
Knowing how much is too much can be difficult. Many parents experience that it can be hard to create a routine where screens don't take over, or attempts to regulate screen time don’t end in conflicts and frustration.
This is why we are dedicated to providing well-documented pediatric screen time guidelines and parenting advice on how to build healthy digital habits and set screen time boundaries without conflict.
Why digital balance matters today
Digital devices are a big part of our lives today. They easily steal our attention and time if we are not mindful of how and when we use them.
Businesses and marketing strategies capitalizing on the online world and its compelling features don’t make this any easier. Adults and children alike are being affected by the pull of technology.
Most of us have experienced how time slips once we are online, or how difficult it is for our kids to turn off the video game or not watch the next video. In these moments, we don’t always master our attention or intention.
We might notice how the entertaining digital world has grown to take time and attention away from our work, relationships, or just steal hours from our day, making it hard for parents to show up as digital role models for their children.
As a consequence, these challenges that both kids and adults struggle with have given us new aspects of parenting to master.
It has equally given us an extra dimension to tend to, adding to our daily mental load; emails to answer, social networks to update, chats to keep up with, etc..
All this combined is a lot for families to juggle. Our goal is to help families keep the balance, take the best from technology, and ensure digital well-being.
First, we have to acknowledge that succeeding in this is not just a matter of willpower and intention. It takes knowledge and strategies on how to keep the digital balance for both ourselves and our kids.
Wellness in this area of life is a goal for many families, but it doesn’t come by itself, and it doesn’t come with yelling, blame, and stricter rules. To achieve a digital balance in the home, we need agreements and conversations about rules, habits, and family values.
And most importantly, we need to support each other in staying on track when it gets hard, not punishing or criticizing.
Digital wellness examples can be different for each family. To some, it can look like this:
- Having screen-free dinners
- No phones in the bedroom
- Talking openly about the joys, struggles, and dangers of life online
- Making it a habit to put the phone away during conversations
- Mastering and minimizing attention-grabbing features
- Joining children's favorite video games
- Feeling heard, respected, and supported in creating and keeping the rules you agreed on
Digital wellness for families is not easy, but with the right mindset and by creating an agreement based on family values, it is possible to reach this balance.
How screen time affects physical and mental health
Children’s screen use has been the subject of many studies concerning the effects of screen time on children's physical and mental health.
Many parents worry about what it will do to their kids to sit too long in front of the screen and whether what is on the screen is bad for them. Many of us can’t help feeling like bad parents if we give in and let them be on screens for just a bit too long. Something doesn’t feel right about watching our kids disappear into the online world.
And how many of us don't recognize that when we get upset at our kids for watching YouTube or playing video games all day, we are actually upset with ourselves for letting it happen, or frustrated that we don't know what to do about it.
However, there’s a big difference between two hours of mindless scrolling negative content on social media, which makes you feel bad about yourself and your life, and two hours of playing video games with friends planning a complex mission together, or watching educational tutorials to learn a new skill.
Additionally, it is always a question of what came first when talking about whether there are effects of screen time on health. Does excessive screen use cause health issues, or were they already there, caused by something else, and screens became a coping mechanism?
When research shows a correlation between the prevalence of screen use and specific health issues in children, science can't always give a clear answer as to which came first.
Do children struggle with loneliness because they spend hours on their phone, or do they spend hours on their phone because they are lonely?
When we see an increase in certain health issues over time in research data, correlating with the rise of smartphone use, or the popularity of social media, we can’t always be sure that it also implies causation. The question about the negative effects of screen time can at times be more complex.
If you are confused or worried about screen time health effects, we understand! We will try to get to the bottom of this complex topic and take a deeper look into all the things we as parents worry about: the effects of screen time on the brain, if there is a connection between excessive screen time and mental health, and any other physical effects of screen time to be aware of.
Sleep, screens, and struggling to unplug
One thing that is very important to our health is sleep. As we already know, screen time and sleep don't go well together, since sleep can be affected in many ways by activities on the screen before bed or when phones are allowed in the bedroom.
Screen time affecting sleep is an issue many parents of teens might recognize. Often, older kids use the time before bed to catch up with friends, relax by scrolling social media, or watch movies.
One of the reasons why screen time before bed is not a good idea is that these screen activities often result in going to bed much later than intended.
Besides delaying bedtime, screen time before sleep can make it hard to calm down enough to fall asleep. Emotionally triggering or scary social media posts or fights with friends can keep the mind busy and keep you from falling asleep.
Screen time and sleep problems can also be linked to the bright light of the screen, resulting in a delay of the sleep hormone melatonin.
How screen time can impact children's vision and eye health
When it comes to screen time and children's eye health, there is one thing in particular to look out for: Myopia or nearsightedness. Research shows a clear link between myopia and screen time.
Studies point to an increased risk of developing myopia due to screen time and extensive screen use during childhood.
The eyes need to focus on objects at various distances regularly for eyesight to develop properly. Keeping the eyes locked at a screen at a close distance for long periods daily prevents this.
Myopia has steadily been on the rise among children since screens entered childhood in the 2000s. Today, about ⅓ of teens are nearsighted. If this pattern continues, in 25 years, half of the teens will be affected.
How screen time affects your child’s brain and behavior
New parents often realize early on that children love screens and are instantly attracted to entertaining content online. It can be tempting, as a tired parent of a toddler or baby, to use screens as a babysitter to buy yourself a few moments of rest.
However, studies show that excessive and early screen use can negatively impact children's cognitive development. Memory and attention span tend to be shorter, and language development can be delayed.
This means that there are, in fact, negative effects of screen time on brain development in very young children.
There are many reasons for this. Primarily, it comes down to the fact that young children need human interaction and a variety of sensory inputs to learn and develop, all of which screens don't provide.
The digital landscape can't offer the same social interaction, physical experiences, and opportunities for exploring surroundings through the senses that young children need.
Additionally, children's brains are still developing and are more vulnerable to the addictive and highly stimulating nature of screens. The constant dopamine rush caused by excitement, rewards, bright colors, and flashing pictures doesn’t provide the environment needed to develop sustained attention, the ability to focus and concentrate, or to engage in deeper thinking.
Parents of older children often suspect a connection between screen time and behavior problems, or they might wonder if screen time affects behavior in any way. In these cases, it is important to understand that screen time isn’t just screen time.
We also have to be aware of what is on the screen and how different content impacts our child. There can be a huge difference in the quality and content of the video games they play or the videos they watch.
The best way to find out is to join your child in what they are watching or playing to see for yourself. Sometimes tantrums or conflicts at the end of a game can be the result of a dopamine drop and burnout after being glued to the screen for too long watching or playing high-paced, stressful content.
Other times, it might just be that the game, video, or chat with friends was cut short at the worst moment, with no regard for what they were in the middle of or their commitments to their teammates.
Lastly, focusing solely on screen time or content, some parents might overlook that their child isn’t thriving in school or at home and is using the digital world as an escape. In this case, blaming their child’s change in behavior entirely on the screen will result in missing the real, underlying issue.
Physical effects of excessive screen time
One of the major health risks of digital life to be aware of is the physical health issues that can follow an inactive lifestyle in front of screens. No matter what kind of content kids are watching, how child-friendly the video games are, or how emotionally fulfilling chatting with friends is, a passive lifestyle in front of a screen for long periods is not healthy.
The negative effects of too much screen time on physical health include a wide range of health issues to be aware of.
- Inactivity
Lack of physical activity and exercise due to hours of inactivity in front of the screen can cause children to be out of shape or overweight. If they spend every afternoon in front of screens, there won't be time for physical activities, too.
An inactive lifestyle is not healthy for anyone, especially not children. This counts for other
passive activities, too. Whether it's reading books or playing chess, making room for physical activity and fresh air during the day is essential for both physical and mental well-being.
We can help our kids by making sure that screens don’t steal time away from physical exercise. Children need 2 hours of exercise each day, which we should consider when creating screen time rules for the family.
- Bad posture and back pain
Screentime can also lead to poor posture and back pain issues from prolonged sitting or being hunched over a phone or computer all day.
Sitting down for many hours is not good for a growing body. Many children tend to sit in poor positions in front of their computers or looking down at their phones, which puts a lot of strain on their neck and back.
Besides the risk of back and neck problems, it can be difficult later in life to correct the bad posture their bodies developed sitting hunched over for hours a day in childhood.
We can help our kids by reminding them to sit up straight when playing video games, or to lie on their stomach when looking at their phone, or to remember to raise the phone to eye level instead of bending their head every time. Creating these good habits in childhood will help them for years to come into their adult life.
- Eyestrain
Eyesight can be affected or not develop properly when eyes are fixed on a screen at a short distance for a long time without breaks.
Additionally, prolonged exposure to artificial light and blue light can cause tired or dry eyes.
We can help our kids by reminding them to take breaks from the screen to give their eyes a rest. This is especially important for older children who might also be in front of screens at school or while doing homework.
Every once in a while, it’s important to look at something at a greater distance for a few minutes to relax the eyes and keep the vision in good shape.
We can teach our children to make sure the blue light filter is turned on in the settings to ensure a warmer and more comfortable tone for the eyes.
- Diet
The diet kids consume in front of screens is usually not very healthy. It is often bite-sized snacks of processed foods or sweet beverages.
In addition, no one is mindful of what they eat or how much when it happens while playing video games or watching movies. Kids might overeat or forget to eat altogether. In the long run, this can have negative health effects.
Eating in front of screens also robs kids of the valuable opportunity to sit down with family or friends while eating and taking a natural break from their screen activities.
We can help our kids by agreeing on rules about where it’s okay to eat and if screens are allowed during dinner or mealtimes.
- Disturbed sleep
Sleep is of great importance for children’s health and development. They need sleep to recharge mentally and physically for the next day.
Being on screens before bedtime can keep you awake, and phones buzzing or pinging at night will disturb your sleep.
We can help our kids by agreeing on turning off screens 1-2 hours before bedtime and keeping them off or outside the bedroom during the night.
Having the phone next to the bed is common when it is used as an alarm clock in the morning. However, many older children report waking up during the night because of notifications on their phones. A regular alarm clock can be a great alternative.
If our teen loves gaming, we need to discuss and agree on how often and how late it is okay to start major online battles with friends. These battles can take hours and easily make an unsupervised teenager stay awake most of the night.
Be role models
These health issues are not only affecting children. Adults are just as much at risk of having physical health issues due to the negative effects of too much screen time. Therefore, it’s a good idea to adopt these habits ourselves too.
Especially because the best way to teach our kids is to lead by example, so if we start these habits ourselves before our kids are even old enough to engage in screen activities, they will grow up watching us. This will make it natural for them to follow in our footsteps and continue the good habits.
Emotional and mental health in a digital world
In today's world, we talk about a global mental health crisis among children. There are more reported mental health issues among our children than ever.
Part of this is, of course, a result of more awareness and better screening options. But there also seems to be a link between children's mental health and screen time.
Besides the risk of screen time getting in the way of a social and active life offline, content on social media and harmful information that kids are able to access online also play a role.
Exposure to harmful content
Harmful, shocking, or any kind of emotionally triggering content naturally catches the attention of users and, as a result, is favored by the algorithms on social media. This results in a high risk of being exposed to harmful content on social media.
It doesn’t take many experiments to learn that after scrolling social media content long enough, eventually it will turn darker, negative, or more scary to catch the users' attention and get them hooked.
This can be videos of real-life violence, war scenes, sexual content, mental health issues, injuries, and the list goes on.
The algorithms are quick to catch on to what kind of content catches your attention, or try to fish for it with anything that might trigger your curiosity.
This makes it easy to enter a rabbit hole of negative content, feeding you daily images and videos that eventually might affect your mental health.
Another risk is ending up in an echo chamber of one-sided presentations of the world or extremist values. This can quickly dominate the daily newsfeed once the user has shown interest in similar content.
At first, it might seem harmless to kids since it's just a photo or video. However, these images will eventually affect the user, especially when they are consumed in large amounts in short video clips over a long time, with no time to process or relate to what they have seen.
At times, the explanation can also be found in following the tracks backward. Research shows that children already struggling with mental health and loneliness tend to spend more time online and lean towards more negative content.
Some do this to find understanding and friendships through supportive communities. However, excessive screen use, consuming harmful content, and staying in a negative loop can risk worsening any ongoing issue and take the child down a destructive rabbit hole.
Social media and self-esteem
The body image and lifestyle goals promoted on social media are often unrealistic, staged, and heavily edited, creating an impossible goal of perfection.
Many young people report feeling unhappy about how they look or their life circumstances after scrolling through social media. Inevitably, something you watch for hours every day will eventually affect your reality, emotional health, and wellness.
Social media is built on features enabling exposure and validation, creating a quick fix for a self-esteem boost. There are plenty of editing options available to make yourself appear just as you wish to be. Often, users experience that they receive more validation and more ‘likes’ for their edited photos.
Additionally, social media includes a high risk of receiving mean comments and criticism. This makes it a vulnerable place for children to develop their self-image, identity, and self-worth.
The reactions to your online image can have a big impact on young minds.
Obviously, negative comments or bullying are hurtful. However, receiving compliments for a ‘fake’ and edited version of yourself and your life might also backfire, only leading to increased anxiety and self-esteem issues, and being less satisfied with reality and the unedited appearance.
Conversation is key
As parents, we shouldn’t be tempted to conclude that only cutting down on screen time will solve problems of this kind. We must be curious about why they are attracted to the screen in the first place. Sometimes, unhealthy screen use is a symptom of a deeper problem, rooted outside the digital world.
There is clear evidence that the online world contains areas that can be very harmful for children and their young minds. If our kids are using social media or browsing the internet, we must be curious about the digital spaces they visit and how they use them to ensure their digital mental health.
Getting to know their favorite social media platform and having conversations about how to use it is a great start. We can teach them how to be active in co-creating the digital environment on social media by being very mindful of the kind of content they engage with, and what to avoid or report.
It takes a very active role to choose to follow positive content and content creators online. By practicing critical thinking and talking about what makes good content and which influencers are worth following, we can set them up for a good start.
We need to teach our kids that if social media posts make them feel unhappy about yourself or uncomfortable, then it’s time to unfollow, report as unwanted content, or block.
And when (not if) the newsfeed turns negative, then it might be time to unfollow hashtags and access the settings to reset the newsfeed.
Additionally, when agreeing on screen time rules for certain social media activities, like random scrolling, it can be a good idea to keep the limit at a minimum to lower the risk of a negative impact of screen time on mental health.
When to seek help for screen addiction
Are you worried that your child's screen use has gotten out of hand? Are they using screens as a coping mechanism, and are they showing signs of screen addiction?
The reason for excessive screen use can be many. Often, it is a matter of lack of boundaries and agreements or bad habits around screen time.
At other times, excessive screen use can simply be caused by boredom or loneliness, where screens become the only activity available. Often, when presented with more options or invitations to do something together, screens will come second choice.
Screen addiction symptoms
Both social media and the gaming world have addictive elements, playing on unpredictable rewards, boosts of validation, bright colors, and the collection of points, etc, to raise dopamine levels.
This makes it possible for users, kids included, to be caught in an addictive loop. Often, addiction can be seen as a coping mechanism for something else in their life that is too hard for the person to deal with.
So treating addiction doesn’t mean only removing the addictive element, but instead replacing it with healthier alternatives. As with any type of addiction, screen addiction should be evaluated and treated by a professional healthcare provider or therapist.
Signs of screen addiction:
- There is a wish to be less online, but unable to
- Many failed attempts of trying to cut down
- Being anxious and frustrated about being offline for too long
- Being occupied with the online world when offline
- No longer enjoying doing other activities or hobbies they used to love
- Avoiding spending time with friends or family to keep up with online activities
- Turning to the online world for stress relief or as the only way to deal with difficult emotions
- Showing strong reactions when being prevented from tending to their online activities, or when confronted with the issue
Benefits of screen time when used wisely
Not all screen time is bad or leads to addiction. There can be plenty of positives to be found in the digital world.
A way to ensure healthy screen time is to focus on the benefits of screen time and prioritize productive screen time activities.
There can be many positive effects of screen time. The advantages of screen time shouldn’t be missed in the pursuit of protecting our kids. Instead, we can let them enjoy the best part of the online world.
Connection
As an example, there can be social benefits of screen time. Technology and the internet provide some valuable opportunities to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world, or join each other in a virtual game.
Community
For children who have a hard time finding friends who share the same interests or looking for support in case of rare medical conditions or other unique circumstances, the online world can be a place to find positive and supportive communities.
Confidence
Some social media communities provide role models who promote accepting and authentic self-images and body positivity, to fight the stream of limiting beauty standards and edited realities.
Education
There are also plenty of opportunities for educational screen time. Be mindful of choosing educational content and follow content creators offering in-depth knowledge or tutorials about a subject.
What is good screen time?
Joining in on children's screen time hobbies gives parents a unique insight into what their children like and an opportunity to discuss their online world and choices with them.
This can inspire critical thinking on what they consume and why, and teach them to choose good screen time over bad. Teaching our kids to engage in quality screen activities will help them develop good screen habits from a young age.
These habits can play a big part in their future online safety when they are one day online on their own.
Good screen time could look like:
- Playing video games together
- Chatting or having video calls with family or friends living far away
- Practicing coding or creating your own video games
- Writing
- Being creative with photos - funny optical illusions or artistic pictures
- Creating artistic collages or PowerPoint presentations
- Watching movies
- Joining or creating positive online communities around a hobby or an important cause
- Creating stop motion movies or short cartoons
- Learning new skills by following online tutorials
- Recording and editing movies
- Learning new digital programs and skills
Age-appropriate screen time guidelines
We all agree that kids shouldn’t be on screens all day, and older kids can handle longer screen time than younger kids. However, often we are unsure if there is an age appropriate screen time, or any screen time limits by age.
Official recommendations for screen time by age can vary. The appropriate screen time by age stated by Raising Digital Citizens is based on research and advice provided by the official guidelines of the Danish Ministry of Health.
Screen time guidelines by age for children during their free time:
- 0-2 years: No screen time or games are recommended for this age group.
- 2-4 years: Maximum one hour of screen time, including other screen activities besides video games, and always with an adult nearby. Games should be child-friendly, slow-paced, and commercial-free.
Screen time should largely be spent on video calls with family, watching photos or short movies, and always together with an adult.
- 5-17 years: 1-2 hours, depending on age and activity. Set suitable screentime limits according to the type of content and activity, as well as your child's maturity. Additionally, ensure that screen time doesn’t get in the way of physical activities and that the appropriate safety measures for their age are in place.
Our job is to create a balanced life for our kids and understand what balance and a healthy life look like for our child. The key is to balance quality screen time with valuable physical activities and relationships outside the screen.
Build healthy digital habits and set screen time boundaries without conflict
Digital parenting is about creating healthy digital habits for kids. A big part of this is being a role model and supporting healthy screen time habits.
A great way to create family digital habits is to have the Raising Digital Citizens conversation about life online. This sets the scene for the whole family on what’s important when it comes to your digital life - both what’s fun and what to be aware of.
Once you know what a healthy and safe digital life will look like for your child, you can create a family agreement. This will serve as a reminder of what you agreed on and what you need to work towards.
Mistakes and slip-ups will happen, and can be seen as reminders where support is needed. The aim is to build new digital habits without conflict through support and understanding.
Raising Digital Citizens offers a wide collection of digital parenting advice and tips on how to handle breaches in the contract and much more to support your family’s digital journey.
Encouraging screen-free activities for better balance
A way to ensure a balanced digital life is to encourage non-screen activities to support time away from the screen. Sometimes kids choose screen activities out of a lack of alternatives or simply out of habit.
Offering fun alternative activities to screen time can support a healthy balance and create easy ways to lower screen time.
Screen-free activities for teens, kids, and families could include:
- Boardgames
- Reading
- Listening to audiobooks or music
- Building caves inside or outside
- Building and flying kites
- Play music
- Making your own comics
- Drawing or painting
- Doing crafts
- Sports
- Finding toys that young kids still like to play with
- Going on trips
- Cooking
- Practicing hairstyles on friends
Have everyone in the family come up with more screen-free ideas for kids and adults that they love to do in case a screen break is needed.
Practical steps to support better screen habits
Video games, social media, and phones are powerful magnets of our attention. They easily become a big part of our daily life and routines without even noticing it.
Our attention is triggered by notifications and sounds, and we might have a habit of seeking out our screens every once in a while for no reason.
Our kids easily get caught in the habit of using screens as entertainment and a social tool to meet up with friends. To maintain a balanced life around screens, we sometimes need to take active, practical steps to build new habits.
It can take time to build new habits. So stay patient and lean on good strategies and the right tools to support your family.
Practical steps you can take to support better screen time habits:
- Agreeing on reasonable rules and boundaries that make sense to everyone.
- Creating a family media plan, like the Raising Digital Citizens Agreement.
- Connecting with values and what a balanced life looks like to make room for other important activities in the day
- Having open and honest conversations about life online
- Creating a list of fun screen-free activities
- Supporting children in managing screen time
- Minimizing the features that draw attention to the screen
- Supporting each other in keeping the new and better habits, and see breaches and slip-ups as reminders of where support is needed, not as reasons for blame or criticism.
Good luck with creating better digital habits and a balanced life!
