Yellowbird’s Screen Time Advice

At this exam time of year, a great deal of stress is caused by time spent online. So how do you manage screen time without causing a row? 

Parents monitor screen time, but the kids should too. This dual-monitoring works for the 10 -13 year olds especially. Try to ‘reverse engineer’ the issue by asking them to analyse how they have actually spent their time online when they come off. Don’t just let them switch off, make them talk about what they achieved/did. 

 They often have no idea how long they’ve been looking at YouTube or playing Fortnite, because the time seems to go so quickly. The actual time spent, often comes as a surprise to them and this has the effect of making them think more about what they are doing (or not doing) during that time. 

Encourage them to keep a weekly total and see if they can beat it down. Encourage them to find the optimal level themselves. It can be quite encouraging for them if they surprise themselves by being on-line less. If they feel in control, they are more likely to be able to control it.

So, our Yellowbird advice is to dual-monitor their use, but make it seemas if they are self-monitor it. This puts them in control (notionally) and helps them see that, when you call time, you are right about enough being enough. This avoids the initial angry denial, followed by whinge that can lead to an argument. Good luck!