Screentime Detox

By: Kimberly B. Harrison, Ph.D.

Have your children and teenagers been spending more time than ever on screens this summer?

Are you worried about how to minimize this without major meltdowns before school starts? Good news! The end of summer vacation is a great time to put a plan in place.

Here are some important steps:

1. Pick a date for the changes to start. I suggest August 1st if you aren’t sure about when to begin.
   

2. Have a family meeting and be up-front about how you have been relaxed about recreational screentime this summer, but want to start preparing for the school year.
   

3. For school-age children and teens it’s important to recognize the difference between “occupational technology,” or the screentime they need for schoolwork, and “recreational technology,” the time they spend with electronics during free time.
   

   1. Knowing the difference and creating a plan is key.

   2. Put in place a few simple rules to start. Here are some that I think work well to communicate you are taking charge of screen usage:
      

4. No screens at mealtime (for parents, too!)
   

   1. Set up a family charging station and have a required time for all devices to be turned in each night for charging.
      

   2. Have your child use tracking software to see just how much time they are spending on screens. This includes video games, social media, YouTube, etc.
      

5. After a week or so of usage tracking, implementing no screens during meals, and a time to shut off devices each night, have another meeting and talk about what it’s been like to have a few simple rules.
   

   1. Review the data about their screen usage.

   2. Decide how much you want/need to reduce it before school starts.
      

6. Next, put a plan in place for whatever you have decided is the right amount of recreational screentime for the school year and work toward having that plan in place before school starts.
   

   1. The plan can be different for each age child in your family.

   2. The hard part for parents is to make sure they are complying.
      

If you want to know more about best practices for each age and stage, I hope you’ll check out my new book on Amazon: Screentime as Dessert: A Parent’s Guide to Reclaiming Children from Device Overuse. Parenting in this world of technology is tough, but with a little knowledge and planning the path can be clear. You’ve got this!

- Dr. H.