Managing screen time

Set limits

Screen time can be defined as any time spent on a device with a screen, including televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, online games, and wearable technology such as smartwatches. Quality screen time can benefit children as they can be creative and collaborative when online.

Managing the amount of time children and young people spend in front of a screen is a concern parents may have.

It can be hard to get away from screens in our increasingly digital life. But you can set reasonable expectations for the amount of time your child or young person is spending in front of a screen, and for the type and quality of that screen time.

National guidelines for screen time

You can access research-based recommendations for the physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours for children and young people from the Australian Department of Health.

Across a 24-hour period, they recommend:

• infants younger than 2 have no screen time
• children aged 2-5 have no more than one hour per day
• children and young people aged between 5-17 years have less than 2 hours a day of sedentary recreational screen time.

These time limits do not include the screen time spent on educational activities.

Visit the Australian Department of Health's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines.

Strategies for moderating screen time

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner offers suggestions for parents to help children and young people maintain a healthy balance of online and offline time.

You can:

• have regular conversations with your children about expectations for screen time
• set clear limits and give them a switch-off warning so they can wind up their activity
• create a plan for the whole family so adults are modelling balanced screen time
• offer children and young people filtered or protected internet access
• set up devices in open locations so you can supervise young people's screen time.

See more advice about young people and screen time at the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

Improving the quality of screen time

It's easy to find information suggesting too much screen time can be problematic for children and adults. But there are also clear benefits to using the internet and digital devices.

Instead of focusing on how much time children and young people spend using screens, you can focus on teaching them self-awareness and self-management strategies.

Many devices have in-built features that support users to monitor and control their usage. Apple smartphones have ‘Screen Time’, and Android phones have ‘Digital Wellbeing’. Consider your own screen time. Parents can set the expectations and then model appropriate behaviour to encourage a balanced approach to time spent on screens at home.

Checklist - a healthy approach to screen time

Have you wondered if your expectations are well-balanced? Complete the checklist below to help determine if they have a healthy approach to screen time.

My child:

• sleeps the recommended time for their age group (5-13 years, between 9 and 11 hours and, 14-17 years, between 8-10)
• participates in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day (can be broken up throughout the day)
• engages with school and learning (completes homework), away from digital devices
• connects socially with family and friends, in online and offline environments
• enjoys a variety of hobbies and interests, away from digital devices, for example playing a team sport
• has a healthy diet where they eat balanced meals as opposed to snacking on foods throughout the day
• has fun learning while using digital devices
• uses quality resources online and looks up or plays age-appropriate games
• regulates their emotions at an age-appropriate level when asked to switch off or move away from the device
• uses a digital device for the recommended time for their age group (not including school or homework)