Wellbeing

Make rules about screen time and digital technology use

You can help your child balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities. One of the best ways to do this is by working together on family rules or a family media plan. Your rules and plan will work best if they apply to everyone in the family, including you.

You and your child could talk about family rules that cover things like the following:

• Where your child can use digital technology – for example, this might be only in shared open spaces like the family room, but not in the car or bedroom.

• When your child can use digital technology – for example, mealtimes are free of TV, computers and phones, or no screens before school or until chores are finished.

• How your child can use digital technology – for example, this might be for making animations or checking a netball shooting technique, but not for playing Candy Crush.

• How you handle digital technology use for children of different ages – for example, there might be some games that your older child can play only when their younger sibling is out or has gone to bed.

• How your child can stay safe online – our articles on internet safety for children and internet safety for pre-teens can help you with inappropriate content, privacy and location settings, personal data safety and more.

   

It’s OK if your rules include time limits to help your child balance screen time with other things like physical activity. For example, it might help to know that Australian physical activity guidelines say school-age children should have at least one hour a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity like running or jumping.

Mrs Lisa Mann  | Wellbeing Coordinator