Smart parenting in a digital world!
The first 1,001 days are a critical period for a child’s development. Research shows us that babies and young children achieve the most development when an adult engages with them through playful learning on a regular basis – chatting, playing, and reading.
This will help them build strong emotional bonds, develop their physical skills, and enhance their communication and language abilities.
In light of this, we then need to question what is the benefit of young children having screen time?
There is an increasing number of children who are frequently using screens (iPads, phones etc). Screen time can offer parents a break or some quiet time, but we need to consider if the screen time is replacing interaction with an adult, and whether there is an appropriate balance of adult interaction and screen time for children.
For children under two years old, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no screen time. For children aged two-five years, they advise no more than one hour of screen time per day. This helps to promote language development, as young children learn best through real-life experiences and quality interactions.
Therefore, we need to try to reduce the amount of screen time children have and increase their interactions and play with parents, siblings, and other children and adults.
“The best app for your child is your lap.” – Anonymous
“Screens can hold attention, but only a lap can hold a child.” – Anonymous
If you do want your child to have access to a screen, here are some top tips:
- Consider the amount of screen time your child is having: try to reduce it if it is above the recommendations
- Watch something together: talk about what you can see and what you are watching so it becomes a shared experience
- Carefully choose what to explore together: some programmes and websites are specifically designed to engage children – for example CBeebies
- Monitor the content your child is watching: it is easy to access inappropriate content and this might be exposing your child to images you wouldn’t want them to see
- Consider when you use the screen: being out and about offers rich opportunities to have a discussion about what your child can see and to get them involved in experiences – for example, giving them a shopping list with pictures, whereas a screen will stop or reduce these opportunities
- Consider your child’s bedtime routine: research shows us that we all need to have a good bedtime routine and having time away from screens before bedtime is vital for us to rest our brains – the same goes for children, but they will need more time to wind down before bedtime, so think about turning off the screen early
- Set clear and consistent boundaries for your child around screen time: this is important, as having constant access to a screen can be addictive and a child will struggle to understand when it is being taken away or when the rules change – when it is time to turn the screen off give your child a warning first, and set restrictions such as not having access to a screen in bed, at the dinner table or when out and about
