There are so many mixed opinions as to whether Covid has come and stayed or come and gone but the one thing most can agree with is that Covid continues to impact our children's social lives and learning outcomes.
The great debate
For years the debate on screen time was raging. What age should we be giving our children a screen? Should parents be using their own phones as a distraction? How much is too much screen time for young kids?
A lot of judgement came from parents but the real experts started weighing in too. Suddenly there were stats around the ideal age, time spent and activities your children should be using their screen time for, forgetting that in the late eighties and early nineties, it was the only way parents were able to get a sleep in!
Now, with Covid all but forcing us to our screens to learn, be entertained and socialise, we have a new normal to adjust to and pull back from.
The social scene
It doesn't take long to realise that children have almost forgotten how to be social. Once upon a time, you would bring your toddlers or pre-schoolers to playdates surrounded by blocks to build or costumes to dress up in. But now, they long for their own screen time, to catch a glimpse of Gabby's Dollhouse or Bluey, hardly entertained by their toys at all. But, balance is the key.
The national recommendations state that children should not be given a screen at all before the age of two and between two and five, children should only have a screen for no more than one hour, and no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time for children aged 5 and above.
We know that these screen time limits are challenging guidelines to meet but they are only guidelines. In fact, the American Institute For Foreign Study states, “Most Australian children spend more time on screens than is recommended. Estimates from primary research suggest only 17–23% of pre-schoolers and 15% of 5–12 year-olds meet screen-time guidelines.”
Leveraging screen time to learn
It's not the newest idea but there's still some merit to teaching our children to engage with their screens to learn, in fact, it was the only way through the pandemic. So, now that early learning centres are open and face-to-face learning is back, we can utilise the screens in a more educational way so that parents will know and understand where their children are up to academically and educators will have statistics on the child's progress.
A spokesperson from Reading Eggs suggests that the online learning platform should be used ‘little and often’ for younger children. For example, 20 minutes a day, completing 1-2 Reading Eggs lessons per week, while in fast phonics they suggest a ‘peak a week’, which is well and truly in line with the WHO recommendations.
Still concerned?
There are other ways to limit screen time for children without removing it completely. Some ideas that you might not have thought of when it comes to reducing children's screen time are:
Background Ban
A lot of the time, mindless viewing comes from wandering through the room and seeing the TV on. Eliminate the background TV and if it's just on for noise, pop a radio on or some other form of music. This could encourage the occasional dance party too!
Community Viewing
By keeping TV viewing, game playing and web browsing to communal areas of the home, you encourage conversation about what your child is viewing and monitor how much time they're on their screens.
Table talk
This one seems obvious but rather than eating in front of the telly, keep it at the table and keep devices away. Engage with the kids, talk about their day, play sensory games with their food and make an effort to have some fun.
