What are your top tips for maintaining a healthy balance when it comes to technology use in your family? Share with BT

[EllieMumsnet]

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With technology making up a big part of many peoples’ lives, including childrens’, there is a lot of conversation around how to ensure technology doesn’t completely take over family life. Technology can be a great source of education, entertainment, downtime and for some an essential part of work. BT and Internet Matters have teamed up to create their own list of tips for making sure your family has a healthy balance with technology, please click here to read them, but they would also really love to know your top tips.

Here’s what Bruce Cuthbert, Director of BT Devices has to say: “There are so many benefits for our children online, and an equal number of distractions. With kids back in school and autumn upon us, we’re spending more time indoors and the temptation is for kids to spend more time online. With Whole Home Wi-Fi, parents can pause the wi-fi and schedule wi-fi access device by device, to help children focus during study time and make bedtimes that bit easier, finding the right balance of online and offline time for the whole family. To find out more about Whole Home Wi-Fi, please click here.”

Do you have a time when you’ve agreed that you and your family will be off your devices, such as by dinner time? Perhaps you ensure that you have family days out and don’t take any technology with you? Maybe you go old-school and play board games on an evening with the family instead of watching tv? What if you were able to group your kids devices and then pause their wi-fi access at certain times; would this be useful to you?

Whatever your top tips are for maintaining a healthy balance when it comes to technology use in your family, post them on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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We have a total screen free meal rule. We make time to read and draw and play with toys and games. But not as often as we could! It's a constant battle, let's be honest.

I like the sound of this wifi-could be really useful so long as my teenage son doesn't hack it/override it! Off to investigate!

I have 4 dc with a large age range . 26 23 15 and 8 .
Had the same rule for all of them and it's not for everyone but it worked for us and the older girls said in retrospect they were really glad we did it .

1. A short 1 hour window ever week day evening where mobiles go on the sideboard . Any hour they choose but it goes down .
2. At 10pm every week might regardless of excuses all devices come out of the bedroom and go on the landing sideboard .
3. agreement that at any given point I ask for password and do a health check on device for inappropriate stuff . Don't usually do it but if I ask and they don't comply it's no internet . Not to be nosey I'd never read private message ect but just a quick check . I didn't it once years ago and a local boy about 19 /20 was sending my 13 year old daughter pics of his erect penis .
4. social media ban via internet provider during exam period all evening until around 8 . This was their idea not mine .

That's it !
Sounds harsh but they have daily access and all weekend .

Limited time for my toddler and try to limit iPad use to educational games

meal time all devices are away from the table-
no devices in bedrooms at night
it is very hard i will admit so i look forward to reading other parents suggestions and techniques

Adopt a 5:2 technology diet, it's the only way! Preferably with at least one of the two days over the weekend so we get some good quality family time

We do family time before screen time and let them know the limits in advance.

We have no screen time before school and after dinner before bed. They are free to use them after school for a hour before dinner and then they are put away in the cupboard. If we don't stick to this they would stay glued to the screens!

The kids have an hour in the evenings and two hours at the weekend. If they try to bargain for more I agree on the bases that they do an equal hour of exercise or spellings or tidying their rooms. Usually something that needs to be done but they need a little motivation for. Works well for all of us.

I have no tips. We are all addicted and I would like to have some answers. I reckon the state should take over and turn of the internet to domestic homes for 3 hours a day!

My kids have an hour to play on I/pads and X-Box every week day before dinner. It goes off at 6pm and no more screens until the next day.

Mobile phones don't go to bed with them. They have to leave them in the lounge when they go to bed at around 9pm

No screens in their bedrooms. It's toys, a good old book/homework or sleep in there!

L

Allowing roughly equal time per child on the pc/choosing the TV programme. Scheduling in lots of family activities that are not screen-based e.g. walks, park, Guides/Brownies, dancing/music, Church, trips out.

We aren't strict about screen time. Some days DD has none and other days she has alot. In fact so far this week she hasn't watched any TV or been on her tablet. It completely depends on the plans of the day. Perhaps she's too little for it to really concern us

I got my son a Nintendo switch, I can restrict his screen time from my phone so he's not on it for hours

We make a conscious effort to limit our son’s time on gadgets and gizmos. No iPad after 9. We always have dinner together - no gadgets at dinner time.

No phones or screens at mealtimes. No phones in rooms at bed times. No screens when out for the day as a family .

DC only get 1-2hrs (varies according to age) on their tablets in the evening. The tablets get put away when not in use. Can't imagine having to switch off WiFi rather than just tell DC to put device away.

No strict limits but flexible approach, knowing when enough is enough. Not taking tech to meals out etc so normal socialisation is used & practised!

No phones at the dinner table

My dc are too young for phones and stuff but I'm making a big effort not to use my phone too much around them so they don't see it as normal so sit on your phone constantly. I'm having mixed results but trying my best to step away!!

My kids are still small think under 5. But able to use the tablet and phones etc, I won't have tablets at the dinner table as they seem to eat less if their brain is stimulated by the tablet it's not my cooking I promise.
However I am guilty of sending my 4 year old to bed with the tablet for a quiet night if she's behaved during the day.

Dc only allowed tv on in the morning after everything is ready and checked. Good team work usually leads to more tv time before school. After school its only one episode allowed, again if the chores/ getting ready for bed routine is completed in a timely manner.

Weekends are a different story as its mostly spent with my mom. She makes her own rules and they watch a lot and play a lot more.

My DC have 2 hours total screen time in 24 hours. This doesn't include looking things up for homework. No screens at the table.

Oh yes, and my DC decided for themselves that their tablets live in our bedroom, so they don't have them in bed.

Limited tv time for my one year old. It drives me insane when the TV is on constantly for "background noise" and find my son plays much more nicely when he's not being overloaded with too many things. He has a little bit of TV time before his morning nap, so I think we have a nice balance at the moment.

We have limits set for device time, Time is earned not a given. I think the master switch for WiFi described sounds excellent.