Three Easy Ways to Reduce Your Kids’ Screen Time

I work very early in the morning, before the rest of the house wakes up. Sometimes I’ll finish work and come upstairs to find Braelyn already awake and on the iPad.  But this morning I found Braelyn reading a book in her bed. It was one of those sights that makes you all giddy inside.

Recently, we’ve been working diligently to change the way our kids relax and have quiet time. In times past, they would go straight to the iPad or ask for a movie on the T.V., but since we’ve made a few changes in our house, their habits have started to change too! Hallelujah!

Here’s what I’ve learned from having kids during this time of abundant technology:

1, Your kids can be entertained and kept quiet anywhere you need them to be (in the car, in the shopping cart strolling the aisles of Target, or even at home when you just need a few minutes of peace and quiet).

2. Apps and iPads can most definitely provide educational benefits or special needs assistance (Like how amazing is it that there are apps for those to communicate who aren’t able to use their voice).

While those are both pretty good reasons to have an iPad or tablet in the home, there are also some reasons not to. Have you read one of the many articles discussing the effects screen time has on a child’s brain? Many of them present research that show how technology affects the brain’s frontal cortex in the same way that cocaine does. And how technology is so stimulating that it raises dopamine levels, much like addictive drugs would. Too much screen time can affect a child’s mood and behavior, which is something we’ve seen in our own home.

Like, don’t ask my kids to get off the iPad! And heaven forbid they don’t have some kind of notice that their time is almost up! Getting my kids off the iPad has always been a battle, and after they are off, they are….how shall we say this….difficult! They are quick to get angry, easily annoyed, and just moody in general. And I don’t know how things are in your house, but for me, when the kids are moody, it makes parenting hard—I lose patience faster, I am more annoyed myself, and I just want to escape from all the sass!! Mike and I have always noticed how screen time has affected our kids, and we kept saying “We shouldn’t let them be on the iPad for very long” or “we really need to pay more attention to how long they spend on the iPad,” but we haven’t been very good at following through, until now. Here are some things that have helped us decrease and even eliminate screen time for our kids:

Get rid of Netflix and YouTube Kids (or apps that your kids can’t get enough of)

Who else loses touch with reality when they’re on Netflix or YouTube? Me? I binge watch. One video on YouTube leads me to another and another. One episode of a good show on Netflix leads to another and another. Pretty soon it’s been hours and I can’t even remember what day it is (not really, but kind of). The same goes for kids. When my kids have access to these apps, they get lost in the sea of unlimited TV shows, movies, and videos. So instead of giving them the iPad and letting them “have at it,” we turn a movie on the TV the old fashioned way—using the DVD player. This way when the movie is done and over—it’s done and over. No linking to more movies or videos they might be interested in.

Get off Your Phone

When I’m lazy and unproductive it gives my kids an excuse to be lazy and unproductive too. I started realizing that when my kids saw me on my phone they were more likely to ask me for time on the iPad. And because I wanted to continue being lazy, I usually said yes. So then the whole house is being lazy and unproductive—wasting time doing nothing and not engaging with each other. This is not being intentional with your time. Get off your phone. Put it down and save it for bed time. If you do need some down time, pick up a book (or do something you enjoy)! I guarantee when your kids see you reading just for fun, it will encourage them to do the same. If I saw my mom constantly on her phone, that’s what would become my own normal. But if I saw my mom working, reading, or playing with me, THAT would be my normal. Which “normal” do you want your kids to have?

Utilize Apps to Regulate Screen Time

If you see no harm in a little time on the iPad, but you just want to regulate it. There are some apps that can help. Like the “Parental Control & Kid Tracker” app, which allows you to monitor how much time your kids are on their phones/iPad’s, as well as what apps they are allowed to use.

These are things we have been doing to help our kids find better ways to spend their time. We’ve noticed a significant difference in their moods and have had much less tantrums.  I used to think and worry that if we took the iPads away, then my kids would look to me for constant entertainment. Or that quiet time I wanted to have in the house wasn’t going to happen without the iPads, but guess what?! Kids entertain themselves! They really do! And also, I realized if they asked me to play with them, am I really going to complain?! That means they love me and want to spend time with me! I shouldn’t deprive them (or myself) of valuable time building stronger relationships with one another. After all, I know when they’re teens, I’ll be the one begging for their attention 😊.

I’m not saying we’re done with electronics altogether, but for now (especially during the summer months) the screen time just needed to disappear for a while. Just to see my two girls getting more creative in their play, reaching for books more, or asking me to read more than just at bedtime, is everything I wanted for their childhood and more. 

How do you and your family handle screen time? Do you feel like there’s too much freedom? Try some of these tips yourself and let me know what has worked for you!