Setting Limits on Screen Time: One Family's Story

How much screen time is too much? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children over the age of two engage in no more than 1 to 2 hours of supervised screen time a day (you can read more about the AAP guidelines here). For some children, this amount is fine. For those who are more focused on technology, this can be a challenge. In fact, it can turn into a down-right battle. Our family has seen its fair share of "wars" over this issue.

Back in September, our family "enjoyed" a six-day break from electricity courtesy of Hurricane Irene. We discovered that there is nothing like an extended power outage to help a family rearrange its priorities. We found the lack of technology so freeing that we wanted to sustain that feeling even after the power returned. As a result, we made some significant changes. I am happy to report that we have sustained those changes over four months later. Here's how we now mange screen time in our family:

• We limit the number of technology days to three days a week: Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
  
• No one (including parents!) can use the computer (for any non-work related activities), Nintendo or T.V. on those days.
  
• Each child gets a predetermined amount of screen time on technology days.
  

In order to help our kids manage their own technology time, we created "Technology Bucks." Each bill is worth 30 minutes of technology time. Here's how we made them:

• We cut card stock into bill-shaped pieces.
  
• We decorated them with fun images where the face would go on a normal bill (drawing things like a computer screen, a mouse or a Wii remote).
  
• We put them in an envelope for Mom and Dad to manage.
  

At the outset of every technology day, each child receives a set number of technology bucks (usually three or four equaling 1 ½ or 2 hours of screen time). There are also some established guidelines, such as asking permission before engaging in any screen time and understanding that screen time is a privilege, not a right (in other words, the bucks can be lost for poor behavior).

We have had great success with this approach to managing screen time. Our children are enjoying (and appreciating) their time with technology, old toys have found new life and Mom and Dad have re-discovered some favorite evening pastimes. As it turns out, less is more.

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Public Education (Children, Adolescents, and Television)