Do you spend much of your free time in front of a screen? If so, you are not alone. A recent study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that most people, especially children spend an average of 6 to 9 hours on electronic devices daily.
It is safe to say that the media is ever-present in our lives today.
And while we are on work from home mode, it is important to keep in mind that we need to create a healthy lifestyle and set rules on how much time we spend on our devices with these simple tips.
Baby steps
Make gradual changes. Do you constantly reach for your phone or tablet during your free time? If so, try cutting back 1 hour a week to start. It is quite impossible to cut out electronic devices completely, but making small changes is the best place to start behavior change.
Unplug the bedroom
Having devices available in the bedroom can interfere with sleep, making it hard to fall asleep at night. Not sleeping at night makes it hard to have the energy to do activities during the day. Keep as many screens as you can out of the bedrooms. Also, by placing TVs, computers, cell phones, and tablets in a central location, you can better monitor the time spent in front of them.
Create a screen schedule
Once you’ve established a screen time limit, sit down with your children every week and let them figure out how they plan to use it. Just make sure that screen time doesn’t occur during meals or within an hour of bedtime. Otherwise, honor the agreement.
Encourage other activities
Reading, doing puzzles or playing board games, playing outside, and spending time with friends or family are a few of the healthy activities your family can engage in instead of being on a device. By planning activities, you can also keep your child entertained without a screen.
Do it as a family.
You’ll be more likely to get your child’s buy-in if you come up with screen time rules altogether. /rcg
