By Tim Jahn, M.ED
Sponsored by the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood, “Screen-Free Week” is scheduled for May 5-11, 2014. If you feel that you or your family spend too much time in front of screens and not enough time talking, reading or getting outside, then here are some ideas to take back control.
Establish screen-free times and zones in your home
Begin by getting TVs, computers and tablets out of the bedrooms. While a TV in the bedroom may reduce arguments about what to watch, it’s a big factor in sleep problems, poor school performance and lack of family communication. Next, make meal time screen-free time. Family meals have a very positive effect but only when families are not eating in front of TV. Many families turn off the TV on school days from Monday through Thursday and Sunday evening. If that’s too much for your family, then limit screen time to certain times of the day. For example, no TV or video games before or right after school, when these interfere with getting ready for school and homework.
Limit recreational screen time
If family members are watching “way too much TV” or spending too much time in front of a monitor, put everyone on a screen diet. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 1-2 hours of screen time per day for school-age kids, not counting computer use for school work. It’s a good rule of thumb for adults as well.
Make TV viewing and other screen time intentional
A lot of screen time is mindless, that is one TV show slides into another or we drift from one website to another, without really thinking about what we are viewing. Before you realize it, you’ve spent several unplanned hours in front of a screen. Plan your TV viewing so that you watch only what you want and turn it off when the program is over. Turn off the TV when no one is watching. With kids, try using “Screen-Time Coupons” (see below). Each coupon is worth ½ hour of TV or computer time. Give each child 10-20 coupons that he or she can use during the week. When the coupons are used up, they will have to find something else to do.
Additional Resources:
ME Children, television and screen time
Reducing screen time for children
Tim Jahn is a Human Ecology Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. He can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 331 or at tcj2@cornell.edu.