There's so much controversy in the research about parenting in the digital age and the impact of screens on children, so it's totally confusing.
I'm currently preparing the Level 3 course in digital well-being, which focuses on coaching relationships between people—whether within families or at workplaces.
Part of my job is to make sense of the latest research and provide actionable guidelines to our coaches, so they can later help clients.
To answer just one typical question that parents ask: "So, how much screen time is too much for kids?" I've probably read a month's worth of materials.
And the trick is, there is still no single answer.
Because it depends on:
- Their gender (outcomes are different for girls vs. boys).
- Their age (or rather, which stage of brain development they are at).
- What they are doing online (because we have seen many kids using YouTube to explore creative hobbies).
- Whether they have ADHD or not (they need stricter control if they do).
- Whether their sleep is affected (shortened, delayed) - get alarmed if it does.
- If they eat in front of the screen (should be banned).
- Your own digital behavior as a parent (this is one of the most underestimated influences the proponents of the total screen-time ban don't talk about).
- The type of behavior you want to change—for example, in the picture to this post, scientists said that in order to maintain focus, screen time needs to be limited to 60 minutes per day.
However, if you look at the guidelines by various health associations, the upper limit is 2 hours per day—this is based on getting enough movement.
And there are like 50 other bullet points.
Simple solutions are the easiest and get the most buzz in the media and on social media. But unfortunately, simple solutions don't work for everyone.
So, what recommendations can I give to parents or those working with parents after reading all these materials?
The battle is really not about screen time—it's about how much your kids move, how well they can stay focused, how well they communicate, how well they sleep, etc. Simply banning or limiting screen time isn't going to solve these issues.
You need to support them in these primary activities, prioritize them, and stop making screen time the central point of discussion. And most importantly, you need to start with yourself and your own habits—because believe it or not, kids copy whatever is going on in the family and don't pay attention to words 🧠.
(Now, I know that's easier said than done—HOW we do it is what we teach at Consciously Digital).
Option 1: Join full certification (www.consciously-digital.com/coaches)
Option 2: Join Level 3 in digital wellbeing (www.consciously-digital.com/level3)
For the second option, you don't need to be a coach to take part in theory classes, however if you want the full course, coaching experience is required.
Comments