{"id":8941,"date":"2023-05-10T17:24:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T17:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8941"},"modified":"2024-03-08T15:11:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T15:11:25","slug":"screen-time-diet-finding-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/screen-time-diet-finding-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Screen Time Diet: helping your teen find balance with their tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

For teens, TikTok, Instagram and online games like Roblox can take up hours of their day. Too much screen time can mean they aren\u2019t socialising, staying active or spending enough time doing their homework.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, tech can also offer amazing ways for them to learn new skills. It can also help them get creative and even revise for their exams. The <\/span>future of work<\/span><\/a> (and everything else) will only be more tech-centric. So, learning how to use it in a healthy, balanced way will help set them up for life.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you strike a balance when it comes to screen time? We dig into the research around how much screen time is too much and the difference between healthy and unhealthy screen time. We also share our top tips for finding a balance as a family.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. How much screen time is too much?<\/li>\n
  2. What’s the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ screen time?<\/li>\n
  3. Signs your teen may be spending too much time on their screens<\/li>\n
  4. 7 apps and websites to help teens learn and create<\/li>\n
  5. Finding balance with screens as a family<\/li>\n
  6. Help them change their screen settings (to minimise distractions)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How much screen time is too much?<\/h2>\n

    According to <\/span>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a> (CDC), kids aged 8-18 now spend, on average, a whopping 7.5 hours a day looking at screens for entertainment. This includes TV, tablets and phones.<\/span><\/p>\n

    We now know that excessive screen time has <\/span>negative effects<\/span><\/a> on children and teens, including mental health issues and poor sleep quality. So, it\u2019s natural for parents to start asking, how much screen time is too much?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Experts say that it\u2019s difficult to pin down. Although <\/span>some pediatricians<\/span><\/a> would recommend generally no more than two hours of screen time each day, a lot of experts highlight the importance of the content being consumed, rather than just the time spent.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThe content you\u2019re consuming actually matters more than the overall time you spend on your phone,\u201d Yalda T. Uhls, an assistant professor of psychology at UCLA, told <\/span>Time Magazine<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWatching a documentary on your phone, for instance, doesn\u2019t have the same impact as mindlessly scrolling Instagram.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    What’s the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ screen time?<\/h2>\n

    Making the most of tech is a bit like having a healthy diet. \u201cIt\u2019s important to eat healthy foods alongside sweets and dessert. And the same is true of the \u2019empty calories\u2019 that come from spending too much time passively gazing at screens,\u201d says Adam Alter, Social Psychologist and author of <\/span>Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    So, \u2018unhealthy\u2019 screen time should be balanced with \u2018healthy\u2019 screen time. And keeping the balance is much better than banning tech altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Psychologists also divide the way we use tech into two categories \u2013 passive and active screen time. Active screen time is when we\u2019re learning, using our minds, doing something creative or video chatting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Passive screen time is when we\u2019re vegging out, watching a film or scrolling absent-mindedly through social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Active screen time is the healthy part of the screen time diet, and ideally, it should outweigh our passive screen time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Signs your teen may be spending too much time on their screens<\/h2>\n

    You\u2019re the best person to tell if your teen needs more time away from their screen. It\u2019s also important to open up the conversation. How is the content they\u2019re looking at making them feel? What relationship do they feel they have with social media?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here are some tell-tale signs that they might need a change:<\/span><\/p>\n