There’s no secret that technology has taken over our society in a million different ways. There are plenty of positive things one can say about it, but the negative is quite a hot topic as well, especially when it comes to screens. Smartphones in particular have revolutionized the way we live our lives, with social media platforms reeling us in hook, line, and sinker.
We won’t get too deep into the statistics, but studies have shown that too much screen time can have a negative impact on our mental health—which is terrifying to think about as a parent. So how much screen time should be too much screen time for your children?
Don’t Withhold It
In an ideal world, our children wouldn’t be on their phones at all—but it’s simply the world we live in today. Withholding it from them completely would only cause them to rebel later down the line, which is never good. Not to mention the fact that there are benefits to these devices, as we touched upon earlier.
A Healthy Balance
It’s important to have a healthy balance of phone time and time away from it as well. If your child is still relatively young, such as under the age of 10, we’d recommend enforcing an hour-max limit to smartphone time. Exceptions can be made if what they’re doing is actually productive, such as playing mind-building games, learning online, or reading educational articles.