Tips To Consider for Staying Aware of your Screen Time

• If you think you might be a distracted parent, you are teaching your kid it is ok to be a distracted person.
  • Role Modeling is key.
  • Keep yourself accountable. 
• Try to spend an average of 3 consecutive waking hours away from your phone. Dinner time from 5-8pm is a great option.
• Get outside and leave your phone behind to showcase to your kids that you can be away from your phone and distractions.
• Be aware of using your phone in social settings. Set limits for yourself.
• Be aware of how much you work from your phone.
• Make family rules not allowing phones at certain times (dinner, bedtime, etc).
• Take measures to help you lessen your connection to the phone (remove apps, landline, etc).
• Get on the same page as your partner or whoever you are raising your child/ren with in order to have consistency.
• Have a conversation about why and when you want to use screens/smartphones with your kid/s. 
• Consider why you are using tablets or phones in social settings as a way to distract child.
  • Get creative or avoid activities that encourage using a tablet/phone.
• Don’t get stuck thinking that once you have given it to your child it’s too late to set limits.
• Allowing facetime with grandma/pa or other relatives once in a while is fine. 
• Feel free to use the  “Phones are for Adults rule”
• Try to enforce your TV, tablet, technology limits with nanny’s, babysitters, friends and family members (i.e. 25 min total)
  • Mon, Wed and Fri for 20 min. 
• Be critical about what you allow children to watch on tablets, phones or TV’s.

Best 2 Websites that discuss Technology and Children

1. Child Mind Institute- Screen Time and Technology 
2. Common Sense Media

Best Book that Focus on Technology and Children’s Development 

1. Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping kids develop a healthy relationship with technology

Best App to Help with Website Content and Parental Controls

1. Circle- Customize settings to limit what can be viewed online for individual family members by choosing age-appropriate (or blocking inappropriate) app and website content for social media, video and gaming apps, and more.

Other Websites to Consider

• What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Children's Brains?
• What do we really know about kids and screens?
• Is Your Teen Addicted to Tech? How to Stop Panicking and Create Healthy Solutions - Mindful Schools
• How and When to Limit Tech Use 

written by: Dr. Christina Kaviani Cal Poly Lecturer