How to Manage Your Child’s Screen Time
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Screen time is a concern amongst many parents. Research estimates that the average 3- to 4-year-old spends approximately 3 hours a day in front of a screen. Unsurprisingly, this can have serious health consequences for children. Too much screen time can amplify anxiety and the blue light disrupts sleep routines by tricking the body into thinking itās daytime.Ā

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The Benefits of Screen Time for Children
Despite this however, access can be highly beneficial for children in their learning and development. The internet offers a wealth of knowledge and resources. Reports even go so far as to say that children with access to computers within the home perform better academically than those who donāt.
The Solution
Itās about striking a balance. Experts reveal that itās less about how much time they spend and more about what they spend it on. They suggest that parents should take a āgoldilocksā approach to managing their childās screen time – making sure that they do not have too much or too little.
How to Manage Your Childās Screen Time
To help you in manage your childās screen time, here are some ideas that weāve put together:
Device Restrictions
Devices have a great set of tools for monitoring and managing screen time. They allow you to keep a tab of what your childās been up to whilst online and limit what they can spend their time on. This can usually be done in the settings of a device, including games consoles.
Time to Save What Theyāre Doing
For your child to stick to their screen time limits, you should also provide them plenty of notice. This will allow them to finish up by saving or pausing what they need to and stop what they are doing.
Set Up Tech Free Zones
You can also create a space thatās dedicated to unstructured, āunpluggedā play. Keeping their devices out of sight will encourage your child to find other means of play.
Introduce Educational Games
As the experts highlight, itās less about how long children spend on their devices and it’s what they do on them that counts. There is a plethora of educational games that can be found online which you can introduce to your child and use to replace their old screen time habits.
Spend Time Outdoors
There is plenty for children to explore outdoors. It promotes the development of gross motor skills and helps them to develop a connection with nature whilst disconnecting them from the digital world.
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