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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DD 6 does like watching television, however, hasn't shown any interest in computer games, Preferring Sylvanians atm. She was bought a 'Kids Kindle' and DS and must have only used both twice since last Christmas. She has about an hour in the evening of TV and slightly more on the weekend. We love board games so tend to play them before and after dinner.

kids are still little but they don't have any screens yet. we also try to set a good example of not being on phones\tablets when playing woth kids.

My DC practice telling the time by switching off a screen at the agreed time. If they do not switch off when agreed, the next allotted screen time period is reduced.

I can imagine the wifi thing being useful in the future.
Dds kindle has a timer on it. I could do with a timer on my phone!

The balance for me would be no internet on a school day, until homework and reading books have been done, they yes, let them play and watch. More time at the weekends, with the modem going off at 9 pm.

My rule was to take lap tops and mobile phones from them when it was time for bed so they got some sleep, I always gave them back in the morning.

We're fairly lax. Both DC use screens for homework - it;s all online now, and they whatsapp or instagram friends to discuss homework as well as social life, so it's hard to put a ban on it during weekdays.

But we have screen free meals and we always eat together.

At weekends, both DC do their main hobbies for a few hours and we usually also go for a long walk as a family, or out for dinner or to the theatre, so that's all screen free.

I find it hard to get them off screens because i'm always on them. My work is mainly onscreen and I use social media too much a fair bit.

For me the important thing is that life is full of other things, so that online life doesn't become omnipresent.

My DC always had loads of things going on, so after school clubs, weekend sports activities and social get togethers. In the evening by the time homework and family dinner was eaten (where it would be rude to be checking phones etc), the time for being online was limited - so it never felt intrusive.

I never had to 'ban' it or put in loads of rules about when it could be accessed because the DC were simply too busy to be on it that much.

DD is in 6th form and probably chats to her friends online a little more than I would like, but I know I was the same with chatting on the phone to my friends back in the day. Used to drive my parents nuts and they'd always say "but you've been with them all day, what on earth can you have to talk about" but I think teenagers need to feel connected, so I don't mind as long as I know she is still on top of everything else.

DS is at uni, so no longer got an idea of what he is up to online, except that I used snapchat as one of the ways I stay in touch with him.

Quite simple - have times when technology isn't allowed (for anyone!) Meal times, watching a family favourite TV programme/film, when we have visitors.

No mobile phones at meal times.

Parents show by example
You need to be a role model healthy electronics use for your children. So before you binge watch your a Netflix series, remember to set a good example. Too many of is keep the television for background noise all the time or scrolling through your phone any time you have a free time learns bad practices down the line.
Keep up to date with the latest tech
Today’s children are tech-savvy. Most of them know more about electronics than we do. so try your best to keep up to date with the latest app/craze/update.
You can't teach your child about the risks of social media unless you understand the dangers.
Have a tech-free room
Establish zones in your house where you just don’t allow electronics, The best on I use is the dining room can be a great technology-free zone that is reserved for meals and family conversation. and clear the dining table and get the board games out.
Just unplug !
Set aside times for the entire family to become unconnected from technological devices. I choose meal times, and the hour before bedtime. They are also a great time for the entire family to have quality time together. You also might consider a longer digital detox for the entire family - a full weekend ! yes you can do it.
Use Parental Controls
Go into your settings - see what's there and ensure no unsightly websites to get through. Gambling has been on the media recently and I have just increased the settings because of that,
make sure you know your children's passwords.
When your children are young and upto teenage years know their password, and check what is happening on their social media (bullying and grooming messages which may be happening - if it is you can then deal with the problem by speaking to your child) It can also be important to establish rules about social media and what services you’ll allow your child to participate in.
Encourage Other Activities
Encourage your children to become involved in activities that don't involve screens, play outside, read a book or play a game.
Consider making screen time a reward. stick to the daily limit and offer other free or low-cost rewards.
Don’t let social media in your child's bedroom.
your cannot monitor your child’s screen media use if it’s allowed in their bedroom., so don’t allow your child to have a TV, video game system or computer in his room. This includes hand-held devices that many children use late at night, which can disrupt their sleep.

No tablets or mobiles at meal times, including Mum & Dad. Always take them out for activities at least once a week, it is surprising how quickly they forget about their tablets and PS4's.

Tbh we have times where we, me, my husband and our four sproglets use our phones, laptops and things loads, then we will have days where we just want to play board games and go for long walks together.
I think we try and teach everything in moderation, but there is no set time you can or can't use it in our house, we just seem to have times where all of us get fed up with technology and just want to enjoy a bit of time together!
Because both of my teenagers have worked since 16, I let them have much more of a free reign with technology, because I believe they have earned it! x

We don't have a television and I don't use data or wifi on my phone. My children use the computer to look up football results a couple of times a week and we use it for educational things (foreign language song videos, singing lessons, handicraft tutorials, and have watched some maths videos). (We home educate.) We use my phone a lot for timers and for listening to audiobooks. We'd usually read together or go out for a walk rather than doing something with screens. My children spend their free time playing together.

We don't routinely use wifi because of the negative effects on health, and the people in my family are all sensitive to electomagnetic radiation.

Limit screen time and no screens at meal times

This has just recently become an issue for us - we are trialling a system in which DS earns screen time through tokens - he'll get tokens throughout the day for chores, good behaviour & manners, etc - each token is worth 5 mins screen time & he can cash them in when he chooses, within reason (i.e not before school & not within an hour of bedtime) - he's allowed time on the tablet in the evenings at weekends also. It's working well so far.
I've been fighting it as long as I can, but it feels this is the way of the world now though! However, OH & I are cutting down on our screen time too - realising just how much we check our phones/check email/browse mindlessly & time together with eye contact is soo much more important!

My dc are still little and I do not let them have much screen time and no unsupervised screem . We do watch tv as a family. As the get older I will be firm about screen time and no devices in their bedrooms.

No screens after ten pm during term time.
At night all mobile phones are locked in a drawer. I also limit TV time during the week. At meal times I insist on having a conversation with each other and refuse to allow technology of any form. My biological children are still little. My stepdaughter is allowed to watch television for a while if she has done her homework and read for a while too.
She’s 5 now.

We have rules of 1 hour during the week and 2 hours per day at weekends and school holidays for tablet use, not including school homework. My children are 8 and 7 and this works for their ages. But when they are in secondary school I'll go with the 1 hour break and 2 hours break on each weekend day.

Currently I approve all apps they want to download and they don't chat online, but if they did I'd monitor this.

My top tip is to have a piss poor internet connection, so it is impossible for my two young teens to surf/game/watch Zoella et al at the same time - thanks to BT Openreach who saw fit to install a cabinet 600 metres up the road for EVERYONE else in our hamlet to enjoy superfast broadband except us and about 10 neighbours. It is apparently ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE for us to get linked to the fibre cabinet and we must remain linked by copper to the village two miles away. Ooh....do you think I’ll win that voucher?!

All phones are switched off at 8pm - weekends being the exception. We do sometimes forget about this or they need them for homework research - this is something we need to be more consistent with. We don’t have phones with us whilst watching family shows together like strictly or bake off. No phones at the table and on nights out.

Meant meals out not nights out!!

No screens at the table, encourage social networking outside their bedrooms. Encourage 'charging' outside room especially at bed time since there seems to be a lot of messaging traffic pings at bedtime.

I try and limit my iPad and phone to educational games.

In the morning when I'm getting ready however, I use Netflix to keep my toddler occupied whilst I quickly get ready