Managing children's screen time
Screens have become increasingly a part of children's lives and can be helpful and enjoyable for families.
They can offer time for children to connect with friends and extended family, be creative and learn.
Screens are often used for homework, education at school, communication, leisure and entertainment. As screens can be used for a range of different purposes, it can be difficult to categorise and manage screen time.
While screen time has many benefits, excessive time spent in front of a screen can impact many aspects of a child's growth and development. It can impact children's:
- physical health
- mental wellbeing
- ability to form social connections
- sleep
Online safety
With today’s rapidly advancing technical world surrounding children, it can often feel overwhelming for parents to know how to understand and talk about safety online with their children.
See Online safety for some useful tips to help your children stay safe online.
Common habits
Recent studies from the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggest that up to 83% of preschoolers and 85% of primary school-aged children exceed the recommended screen time guidelines. With the rise of technology, social media, and the COVID-19 pandemic, these statistics have likely increased.
Boys are more likely to spend their screen time on electronic games and TV as they grow up, whereas girls are more likely to use computers and social networking sites or applications.
By the teenage years, up to 30% of a child’s waking time is spent in front of a screen, averaging:
- 159 minutes of TV
- 60 minutes of computers and
- 45 minutes of gaming.
Did you know?
Parents are becoming increasingly concerned about children's excessive screen time use and are identifying it as one of the biggest health problems facing children today.