How your family can embrace a healthy digital diet
- Quality counts. Help your kids choose online experiences that are challenging or creativity-driven to encourage development and skill building.
- Get kids moving. Make a music video, film an action-adventure, and encourage the use of apps that provide creative stimulation as well as physical movement. In addition, get children up on their feet by implementing regular breaks.
- Enjoy time together. Organize fun online activities that prioritize family time and keep communication channels open at all times. That means discussing digital content, sharing ways to be safe and secure online, and reassuring your children that you’re always happy to talk about any questions or concerns they might have about technology.
- Set a good example. If you’re talking with your child, avoid checking your phone at the same time. After all, how can they be expected to take a balanced and mindful approach to technology use when they don’t see you switch off?
- Do a digital detox. Agree on when and where kids can engage with technology and consider taking a break from screen time for a day or a week. Alternatively, turn your home into a digital-free zone at the weekends or introduce no-phone zones in certain rooms.
- Well-being wins the day. Prioritize your child’s education before engaging in screen time and – to ensure they get regular, good-quality sleep – consider taking digital devices out of bedrooms or limiting their use after dark.
- Finally, cherish your time offline. Technology can be awesome, but it’s important to balance online and offline time. Engage in family moments like building with LEGO bricks, playing sports, interacting with nature, reading books or going for a bike ride with friends.
With all this in mind, let’s start to view digital screen time as a way to complement your kid’s day-to-day lifestyle – but not to rule it.