When I was growing up my parents limited the amount of time we could spend watching television, surfing the internet, or playing video games. As I became a teenager the amount of time I spent on the computer increased drastically, and it became hard for my parents to enforce a limit on "screen time" because I needed to do homework. Things also were a little more complicated during this time not everyone had a cell phone, so I spent a lot of time on the computer to communicate with my friends.
My parents and I had disagreements about what constituted "screen time," and how much time I should spend on the computer. I am well past those days, but I still remember them. In our fireside I am discussing balance. I thought about how to ensure that children, and especially teenagers, can find balance between digital content and everything else. As I turned to the internet and other resources to research how to find balance with digital media I realized that the best way to find balance when it comes to teenagers is not to put a simple time limit on screen time, but to use it as a teaching mechanism.
Instead of creating time limits, create places and times when digital media is off limits. For example, have a bowl everyone puts their phones in during dinner and make sure the tv is off, or have everyone turn their phones in at a certain time each night before they go to bed. It's still a great idea to limit time vegging in front of the tv, but it might also be a good idea to create time when teenagers and kids can read and/or exercise.
Another good idea is to help children and teenagers learn how to interact with others online. It's a good teaching opportunity, and instead of sending the message that spending time online is bad teach them how to combat cyber-bullying or learn something new or any other number of great activities.
Taking a different approach from limiting screen time really opened my eyes to the opportunities available via digital media.
Here's one link I found that was very helpful:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/parenting-tips/recommended-screen-time-for-children
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