Tips to help parents reduce their screen time

We all have busy lives and need to stay in touch with friends and family and keep on top of emails and life admin. But It can be tricky to get our children to limit their screen use when we’re using screens a lot ourselves. So one way you can get your child to reduce their screen time is to reduce yours too. Easier said than done, we know, so here are some tips for making your screen that little bit less addictive.

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Why it's good to cut down on screen use

Cutting down on screen use has lots of benefits for parents and children:

Spending time chatting, playing and reading face to face with our children is really great for helping them develop the communication skills they need as they grow up. Research shows that being on our phones makes us less responsive to our children, which can make it harder for them to learn these important skills. Our pages on screen use for babies and screen use for toddlers explain more.
The less time you spend on your phone and the more time you spend chatting, playing and reading with your child, the more they’ll learn to express themselves in words, so they won’t have to resort to tantrums so often.
Children can sometimes act up more if they’re trying to get our attention while we’re engrossed in our phones, so putting away our devices can help with behaviour too.
If our kids see us constantly on our phones, they’ll want to do the same thing. So although it’s not always easy, putting your phone away, where possible, sets a good example for them.
Feeling we need to be available 24/7 and constantly connected to what’s going on (whether that’s the school Whatsapp or the news) can make us anxious. So you may find that cutting down on phone usage helps you feel calmer.

Anxious dad looking at his phone will his child plays with blocks in the background.

Top tips for cutting down on screen use

Tip #1: Track your usage

Track how much time you spend on your phone using its settings or an app like Digital Wellbeing. You might be surprised at how much time you spend. Can you reduce it by just an hour a day?

Also, think about what you’re using your devices for. If you’ve spent 20 minutes doing something useful (like finding a cheaper electricity supplier or doing the weekly shop) or good for your wellbeing (like doing an online exercise class) this is great!

Tip #2: Do not disturb

Switch off notifications or turn your phone to silent or ‘do not disturb’. You can always set your ‘do not disturb’ to allow calls and messages you don’t want to miss, like your partner, kids and the school.

You may want to think about muting those super busy Whatsapp groups that ping at you every 5 minutes! Without all the buzzes and pings you’ll be much less tempted to look at your screen.

Tip #3: Set limits on social media

Most social media apps allow you to set a limit on the time you can use them for, which can help prevent you getting stuck in endless scrolling.

Tip #4: Set phone-free zones

You could try to ban phones at mealtimes and in the bathroom and bedrooms. The blue light our phones gives out can disrupt sleep patterns, so putting your phone away for at least an hour before bedtime will help you sleep better too.

Tip #5: Make your phone less appealing

Make your phone less tempting by turning down the brightness or switching it to dark mode or grayscale.

Tip #6: Listen, don't look

If you’ve time to kill on a journey or are trying to get to sleep, try listening to music, podcasts or audio books rather than watching videos on your phone. This will give your eyes a rest.

Tip #7: Set a timer

When we’ve had a long day it’s nice to sit back and scroll through something cute or funny on social media. But a quick look can soon turn into a long scroll. So why not set a timer so you’re reminded when to stop?

Tip #8: Resist the urge to be 'always on'

Anyone else feel that they have to be connected all the time, always replying to messages immediately or ‘liking’ things we’re sent? Getting out of that mindset can be hard. But we need to remind ourselves that, unless it’s an emergency, it can always wait. You could even let your family and friends know that you’re trying to cut down on your phone usage, so they know not to expect an instant reply every day.

Tip #9: Focus on one screen at a time

If you’re watching a family movie together, try not be on your phone at the same time. Maybe leave your phone in another room, switch it off or put it under a cushion!

Tip #10: It's good to talk

Give someone a call, instead of sending them an email or message. Talking to someone could be nice, and it may be quicker than pinging messages back and forth.