Screen time

Are you worried about how much time your children spend watching television, using a mobile phone or a tablet?

In a bid to help parents and children get the best out of the time they spend online, internet matters have come up with five simple tips to help manage children’s screen time so they can make the most out of their time both on and offline.

1. Set a good example with your own device- Children will tend to copy your behaviour, so if you start reading a book they may copy you.
2. Talk together about how much time they spend online- Understand what they are doing and express your concerns.
3. Agree on a appropriate length of time that they can use their device- Put in place a family agreement to set some boundaries and stick to it.
4. Get the whole family to unplug and have a screen free zone.
5. Use technology and apps to help manage screen time.- The forest app enables them to grow a beautiful forest each day they don’t use their phone for a set amount of time. The ipad’s guided access limits the time you can access any given app, which can be great for younger children.