With school holidays approaching and the NSW government announcing new limits on screen use for learning in public schools, an education expert says families should also be thinking about how they manage screen time at home.
Dr Elise Waghorn is from the School of Education at RMIT, with expertise in early childhood development. Her research explores children’s everyday experiences in Australia and their connection to policy and educational contexts internationally.
She says that with school holidays coming up, many parents will be wondering how they are going to manage their children’s screen time during the day.
‘Before the holidays begin, talk with your children about what screen use is going to look like,’ said Dr Waghorn.
‘Depending on their age, involve them in setting expectations around when devices will be used and when they will be put away.
‘Australian government guidelines recommend no sedentary screen time for children under two. For children aged two to five, the recommendation is no more than one hour a day, with less being better.
‘For children and young people aged five to 17, the recommendation is no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time each day.’
Setting boundaries
Dr Waghorn says these expectations could be as simple as keeping meal times screen free, agreeing on times when devices are put away, or making sure there is still time during the day for children to get outside, move and do other things they enjoy.
‘Instead of focusing entirely on what you are taking away, think about what you want children to have more time for,’ she suggests.
‘Parents also need to think about their own screen habits. If we expect children to put their devices away at the dinner table, that expectation should apply to adults as well,’ said Dr Waghorn.
‘School holidays do not need to be filled with organised activities every minute of the day. Children are going to tell you they are bored, and parents do not always need to immediately solve that for them.
‘The aim is not necessarily to have a screen free holiday, and parents should not feel guilty because their children are using screens during the holidays either,’ she said.
‘It’s about finding a balance where screen use is not consistently replacing sleep, physical activity, relationships and other things children enjoy doing.’
