With phones, tablets and other devices, it might seem impossible to pull your kids away from their screens.
But it’s important to set limits for them, especially during the school year.
“In general, aim to keep kids’ recreational screen time use to no more than two hours a day. This is more realistic for some households than others, but we really try to at least set some kind of limits beforehand,” explained Dr. Gina Robinson, a pediatrician for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Although keeping your kids’ screen time to two hours or less a day may seem challenging, Robinson said consistency is key.
She stressed it’s best to have set rules in place before kids get on their devices to avoid unexpectedly stopping them in the middle of a TV show or video game.
And if you’ve been more relaxed with screen time over the summer, it’s a good idea to have a conversation about it towards the beginning of the school year.
You don’t want kids falling behind on homework because they’re too distracted.
When it comes to actually enjoying screen time, Robinson said you can try finding ways to make it more of a family activity.
“Watching movies together on Friday nights can be your family’s screen time,” she said. “You can do different things to make it special and more of a family activity.”
Robinson added it’s important to lead by example -- meaning parents need to take breaks from their devices if they want their kids to as well.