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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My tips are lead by example, the number of mums I see which there mobile phones in constant use, texting and playing games - and not giving children any eye contact or recognition they are there angers me, if they see YOU do it - they will grow up thinking it's socially acceptable. So put down your phones, spend time with your children, and the rest will follow.

No screens or gadgets at the table or in bedrooms. That seems to be effective enough so far for us.

I didn't get my teens phones or Xbox until they were in secondary school, by that point they were very well established with sports, clubs, seeing friends and in a routine of playing games etc, so the technology has always just been one of many things they do. I did the same with tv when they were little, made sure they were busy and so it was never a big deal. I have also always had just the one really small tv in the house, so that limits things! Their emails, social media etc are all linked to mine, that's how they were set up when they asked for them and it's never changed.

Using my own technology when the kids are in bed. Limited time for them and parental controls and supervision. Too easy for kids to turn into zombies with too much time online/screens

No screens at the table. No screens after 8.30 on a school night. No smart phones before secondary school. As they get older it gets harder...

We only have one tv and don’t make iPads readily available. If DC fight then I turn the tv off. They seem to get on best when they play without tv for some reason. I’m not sure how I will limit screen time when they’re older.

No screens at meal times (we all sit at the table together, baby included). Also limited screens on weekends for me and my husband. I have an app which blocks social media use during the day so I'm not tempted to use my phone. Toddler (nearly 3) uses the iPad when I'm trying to get the baby to sleep. She usually starts with educational cbeebies games but after a while drifts to you tube . I'd rather she didn't, but she's happy and I can feed my baby to sleep.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure we do have a healthy balance...it seems to rule our house :(

I do have a total ban on screens at the dinner table, and no phones/tablets etc are charged in bedrooms overnight both dd's have to bring them down to the kitchen at a set time.no screens during homework time (unless they are required for the homework!) I try to make sure dd's are active and we go out for walks/visits/activities at the weekend so they aren't on them constantly. Its very tough tho!

We are quite flexible on how much time dd has on her iPad. Plus half the time she's on her Kindle app reading so limiting it might make her read less.

I make sure that we spend time together each day talking, playing and drawing but sometimes we both just need the hour screen time!

iPad is banned until after breakfast on school days, we are a bit more flexible on a weekend as dd tends to be up by about 5:45 most days.

use for education purposes and limited use for fun things otherwise we will just get rid of it! that seems to work!

Great to use for educational purposes and also allow for more fun things but only for a limited amount of time. If they do not agree with these rules we say we will simply throw it away and there will be no tablet! this seems to work :)

No phones or screens at mealtimes.
Limited time for them at weekends and no screens after 8pm on school nights.

We have BT WiFi, and we restrict the availability of internet to DS's devices. It saves the arguments of 'just 5 more minutes ' etc etc

We try to make them aware of how much time they spend on technology, we get a weekly report of xbox usage etc, no technology before bed, they can read a book to wind down. No technology before homework is done, I try to give them other options, lego, making things, going out to break up usage too. I teach them to self moderate meaning they are aware of their usage.

There are some good tips here I’m banking for when they’re bigger

Mine are 7&10, they don’t have phones, we have a desktop computer, 1 family iPad mini, DH has an iPad mini, a PS4 and one tv

They can watch tv in the morning before we get up if they’re dressed first, goes off when breakfast is ready

No other screen Mon-Thurs (except when I’m away with work because DH is screen obsessed so I know they all watch tv after dinner)

Friday night is movie night

One weekend day (usually Saturday) they get gaming time - usually 4-5hours (I know, it’s a lot) where they rotate the PS4, desktop and iPad games, all played in the same room and often they’ll play together but they don’t have to.

I imagine this will change a lot when they have their own devices but we’ve always had a no technology at the table rule (at home and when eating out) and it’s harder to get the grandparents to stick to this than anyone else!!

My children are allowed an hour of screen time a day, but this is dependant on good behaviour.

I would never allow my children to take technology devices on day trips or while we are eating a meal. I personally think it's rude and I enjoy the conversations we have when we are together as a family.

No tech in bedrooms rule.
No radio /tv/phones....
only exception one very old battery operated keyboard!

There is a time limit on phones and tablets. Also we do not have any phones at the dinner table. This gives us a chance to talk to one another and we have a family meal and discussion together without any interruptions.

No screens at table. Allowed to watch around 30 min of tv after school for a wind down and usually a film at weekends. We don’t have a tablet.

Technology use needs to be earned. I can use it as a bargaining weapon or as a weapon for mass distraction. Good healthy habits need to be adopted as eyesight may worsen with prolonged use!

No tech until Thursday. Then only if homework complete. Fri, Sat,Sun is 1 hour of xbox. Often will watch a family movie as well in Winter.