3 Things to know about screen time

By: Katherine Tredinnick, Research and Content at Devie

Screen time can be a life-saver during this tough time, especially as parents are trying to get work done from home with their children around. But we know that parents also worry about how much is too much, and how to make sure their little ones are interacting with the right content. We dug into what the science says about screen time for little ones.

How much screen time is recommended?

According to the World Health Organisation Guidelines (2019), for babies under two years old, screen time is not recommended at all. Caregivers should rather use the time at home to share books and stories with their little ones of that age. For little ones aged 2 to 4 years of age, screen time should be limited to one hour maximum, though the less time spent with a screen, the better!

Look for interactive apps, games & shows!

Another question on parents’ minds is what kinds of on-screen content their little ones should be interacting with. The most important thing to look for is whether the screen time is interactive. Your little one should be fully engaged by the app, game or show that they are watching and should be responding, for example, by clapping, pushing buttons or singing.

Join in the fun with your little ones!

Screen time can become a valuable learning experience when you join in, and build on your little one’s experiences with off-screen learning opportunities. For example, play a pretend game where your little one pretends to be their favourite character from a TV show! Or ask your little one questions to help them connect what they see on screen, to their own life.

And cut yourself some slack 😊

All of this being said, we know that right now, screen time can be really useful as you’re trying to keep your little one entertained all day without nursery or childcare, and at Devie, above all, we don’t believe in judging parents for doing their best. So if you find yourself allowing more screen time than is recommended, cut yourself some slack, and try and follow up on the screen time with off-screen learning opportunities :)

Make sure to download Devie for free on iOS or Android and stay tuned for the Home Learning Programme where you’ll receive daily screen-free activities to do with your little one, and suggestions on how to make the most of screen time as a learning experience.

Devie’s Home Learning Series

In these unprecedented and immensely difficult times, we know that parenting can feel tougher than ever before! There have been a few common questions on the minds of parents in our community, including:

• How much screen time is appropriate for my little ones?
• Should my family be trying to stick to some sort of routine?
• How do I, as a parent, stay calm and present in these tough times?
• How do I keep my family active during the lockdown?
• How do I get my work done with my little one at home all day?

In response to these questions, we created the Home Learning Programme to keep your little ones happy and learning at home during the lockdown. Through this programme, Devie sends you daily learning activities designed to support your little one’s social emotional, language, health, early literacy, and early math development, and your own wellbeing. Download Devie for free oniOS or Android to try the programme when it launches this week.

We’re also blogging about each of these topics this week to provide research-based, non-judgmental recommendations to help during these tough times.

Remember awesome parents, we are all in this together ❤

Connect with us-

Instagram: @devie.coach

Facebook: facebook.com/DevieCoach

Twitter: @DevieCoach

Website: deviecoach.com