Pay attention to how much time your child spends in front of screens each week. If your child exceeds the recommendations or seems excessive, set some clear family expectations. This may include limiting recreational television watching, surfing the net or playing computer games, and replacing these with other activities that your child enjoys.

As a family, you can discuss and decide which areas of the home should be screen-free, for example bedrooms. Screens before bedtime can delay sleep and negatively impact sleep quality for growing children. Try to keep screen time in family shared spaces which allows you to keep an eye on what your child is doing.

Scheduling set times during the day when screens aren’t used. This helps:

• manage your child’s expectations
• maximise time for physical activity
• limit excess screen time
• make more time for memories and conversations
• reduce the content that your child may consume.

Once your child starts school, have a family chat about how screens will be used for learning. This helps avoid too much screen time outside of homework and sets boundaries for personal use.

Be open and honest about checking what your child is watching or playing. This helps ensure screen time and online behaviour is safe and appropriate. Depending on your child’s age, this may include:

• sitting with them during screen time or games
• testing mobile apps yourself before they use them
• checking ratings on games or shows to ensure they are age-appropriate
• asking your child to explain what they are watching or playing or how it is making them feel.

Use this time as an opportunity to teach your child about:

• online safety
• appropriate online behaviour
• how much time they should spend in front of a screen.

As your child gets older, they will want more freedom. With early education and conversation, they will have the right tools to navigate the online world and manage themselves.

See Online safety for more information.

Kids often copy what parents do. While screens are part of everyday life, the less you use one as a parent, the less likely your child will want to do the same. Like most parenting decisions, it is important to model the preferred behaviour to your children.

Being engaged and giving kids your full attention will help create better expectations around screens in the home.

Children crave stimulation, company and opportunities to develop and grow. When they are bored, they often reach for screens.

Plan outdoor family time together after school or on the weekends. Let your child help choose the activity- they’re more likely to participate if they get some choice.

Children won't think twice about devices by getting outside regularly. They will be too busy having fun with you.

When your child is bored, it can help generate creativity and innovation. Foster your child’s creative side by guiding them towards screen-free activities. These could include:

• drawing
• painting
• puzzles
• board games
• dancing
• reading
• imagination.

Screens are a part of life, whether parents grew up with them or not. Going for a zero-tolerance rule often isn’t realistic or reasonable, especially for older children. If your child exceeds the recommended daily screen time limit, it's best to try to reduce this slowly over time and have them engaged in the change.

Establishing clear guidelines for screen time at home can benefit your child’s long-term health and success. To do this, the first step is understanding:

• how often they are using screens
• what screens they are using, for example phones, computers, laptops
• where they are using screens
• when they are using a screen. 

Knowing this can help you set boundaries for screen use. Some ideas include: 

• keeping recreational screen time within recommended limits
• watch programs the whole family can enjoy
• turning off screens when the program or task is finished.

 Having children involved in the decision-making helps them feel more in control and more likely to stick to them.