At school this week all year groups have been taking part in Healthy Lifestyles Week. The children have learnt many different ways to keep our bodies and minds healthy. One way to keep our mind healthy is to reduce the amount of screen time our children have and to use this time to get outside instead.
The World Health Organisation recommendations bear similarity to the The American Academy of Paediatrics Screen Time Guidelines (2016) which recommends:
- For children younger than 18 months, avoid use of screen media other than video-chatting. Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they’re seeing.
- For children aged 2 to 5 years, screen use should be limited to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
- Children aged 6 years and older, consistent limits should be placed on the time spent using media, and on the types of media, and to make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviours essential to health.
- Spend designated media-free time together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
- Ongoing communication about online safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
If you need support to manage the amount of time your child spends online, please speak to a member of the Newdale staff team.