In this episode our intrepid online newbies discover how addictive online activities can be, and how they affect real life. A cautionary tale where your child will learn the pros and cons of too much screen time and practical solutions to make sure their time online is positive and balanced.
Give your kids the skills
- To understand the positive and negative impact screen time can have on real life.
- To be aware of how it can be difficult to manage screen time.
- To see what a balanced digital diet looks like for them.
- To use practical solutions to ensure online time is positive and balanced.
The wonderful and the worrisome
3 hours and 5 minutes
is how long, on average, 8-12 year olds spend online every day.
Source: Ofcom, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report, April 2024
2 in 3
children say spending time online makes them feel mostly happy.
Source: Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World, 2024 report from Internet Matters Children's digital wellbeing
63%
of parents believe time online negatively impacts their children’s health. Over half of parents are concerned screen time is affecting the child’s sleep.
Source: Children’s Wellbeing in a Digital World, 2024 report from Internet Matters Children's digital wellbeing
Simple ways to support your child
Managing kids’ screen time can be tricky, as they experience screens in two different ways -active and passive. Active is things like browsing, blogging, gaming or chatting, while passive is generally watching content like YouTube or BBC iPlayer.
If you’re concerned about the amount of time your child is spending in front of the screen, here are some tips to help you.
- Create screentime boundaries with a family agreement. Set a positive example with your own screen use.
- Set realistic time limits for their online fun and stick to them.
- Use these great tech tools to help monitor and control screen time.
- Help your child establish a healthy offline-online life balance.
If you’re worried about how much time your kids spend online why not read our article on helping your child establish a healthy offline-online life balance. Or for more support visit Internet Matters: Deal with Screen Time.