7 Ways to Help Kids Find Balance & Establish Healthy Digital Habits
Balance for your family will look different than it will for another family and that’s okay. Every family is unique and parenting styles and values will vary. Generally, if your family is reaping the benefits of technology use without harmful side effects then you are well on your way to raising healthy digital citizens. If you feel confident in how your kids are using technology, then you’ve likely found balance and your kids are successfully learning healthy digital habits. Read on to learn how to establish healthy digital habits for your kids so they can find balance!
Advice for Parents in the Digital Age
Promoting healthy digital habits among kids is important to help them find balance between the time they spend on screens and other activities. There’s no single recipe for success when it comes to finding balance because every child and every family is different. However, by teaching you kids to use technology in healthy ways, they will pick up the skills and habits that will make them successful digital citizens. Here are some ways to help kids find balance and promote healthy screen time use.
7 Ways to Promote Healthy Digital Habits
- Set screen limits: You might find that your kid needs strict limits when it comes to tech use. Or maybe your kid is able to self-monitor and needs minimal reminders when it’s time to turn off their screen. Parents can set limits on the amount of time kids spend on screens each day but in my opinion it’s most effective to teach kids to read the signs of when they need a break. Teach them to ask questions of themselves, such as how long have I been on my device? Do I need to be on my device right now? What could or should I be doing instead? Am I paying attention to what my body needs?
- Encourage physical activity: Encourage kids to engage in physical activities that they enjoy, such as playing sports or going for a walk or bike ride. This will help them to balance their time spent on screens with physical activity.
- Model healthy screen habits: Parents should model healthy screen habits themselves. This means avoiding excessive screen time in front of their kids, and instead engaging in other activities such as reading or spending time outdoors.
- Encourage other activities: Encourage kids to engage in other activities that they enjoy, such as playing board games, drawing or other hobbies. This will help them to find balance between screen time and other activities.
- Use parental controls: Use parental controls to limit access to certain websites or apps, and to set time limits on screen time, when needed.
- Have tech-free time: Set aside tech-free time for the family, such as during meals or before bedtime. This will help to establish healthy boundaries around screen time and promote other activities.
- Talk to kids about responsible technology use: This is probably the most important thing you can do to help kids find balance and establish healthy digital habits. Have ongoing conversations with kids about responsible technology use and the importance of balancing screen time with other activities.
How to Promote Healthy Technology Use for Kids
Want even more tips to help your family find balance and establish healthy digital habits? Join me on my next Webinar over on Facebook. I’ve partnered with my friends at Zigazoo to host a webinar for their Zigamoms Facebook Group. We’ll be talking about how to find balance and establish healthy digital habits by including kids in the conversation. It’s a FREE webinar for parents and I think you’ll find it useful. Just click here to join us live or catch the recorded replay to learn more!
