Screen times HELP!

[Orangebadger]

So I know this is going to be variable for everyone but I just want to know what others do. This is regarding time on tablet/ phones connected to the internet not TV.

Like many parents I feel it's a constant battle and the argument is often supported by DD with what her friends get/ do... obviously we are all different with our own boundaries.

I feel like my DD has too much though, she obviously disagrees. So maybe 2 hours in the evening weekday but more weekends. Possibly 2 hours is too much during the week?

I just feel the need to review things and maybe the new year is a good time to act on this.

She is yr 7, 12 years old. Not allowed any screens in her room ever. That's another battle but I am not moving on that one. I also have quostodio so I have blocked all social media and can monitor what she does. I do spot checks mostly on WhatsApp. She's not allowed on large group chats either. It's the length of time and the impact it's having on her that concerns me most.

Honestly, sport is the answer. In my opinion, there's only so much you can do to keep them off the screens at that age without offering something else, and a competitive team sport where there's a lot of training takes the edge off it because they're simply too exhausted. The sooner you get them into something that they can obsess over normally the better.

What's she doing on it? If it's 45 mins of maths homework and 1 hr 15 of research for history homework then it's fine.

If she's scrolling TikTok then obviously it's not.

What does she want to do more of? What alternatives do you offer? How much does she see you on your phone?

Can you set up controls to limit her time? We are android and family link has been working well for us. You can limit time spent on particular apps as well as total time. It's made mine more aware of how much time they spend and also reduced the pointless YouTube short watching. Now I just need to set it up to limit my app time

I echo the above message about Family Link and setting screen time limits. I find limiting screen time is a constant battle and it takes up a lot of energy as you have to be on the case all the time but it does work. During term time DD age 11 has 1 hour on her phone and it switches off automatically after that. Also switched off at 7.30pm if she hadn't used her time up. She doesn't have tiktok etc but will scroll YouTube on her switch. She is allowed to draw on her art tablet and I've blocked YouTube on that. Gaming with others or calls with friends I don't mind so much but the mind numbing constant scrolling turns her into a zombie!
Holidays are more tricky but when she's back at school she's busy with clubs etc and doesn't have much time to devote to screens. I find that she responds much better to having limits and clear rules.

keep doing what your doing. During the holidays am a lot more lax with screen time but when school starts I have taken her iPad off her and she's only going to get it maybe an hour a night max . Other times doing clubs or things in house

Doesn't matter what other kids parents let them do your the parent so put your foot down