Welcome to the first of many e-safety blog posts. These posts are for Parents & Carers and will cover different topics regarding internet safety. They will be published on a regular basis so do keep checking back.
C Spencer
Senior ICT Technician & CEOP Ambassador

Balancing Screen Time

“Smartphones are central to teen’s daily routine, if not integral to it.”

Screen time is a concern many Parents and Carers regularly have – and rightly so. Teenagers are spending more time than ever before in the online world, with some spending most of their waking hours looking at screens. How much screen time is too much? … is the big question that, unfortunately, does not have a straightforward answer to.

Parents and Carers often find it tricky to manage a teen’s screen time, however I am sure you will agree that a healthy balance of time on and offline is important. Every teenager is different – some will play online games regularly whilst others may only use it for social media purposes. Screen time has benefits as well as challenges, and not all screen time is created equal.

“One size does not fit all when it comes to screen time – it’s more about getting it right for your families needs.”

Something to keep mind is that, for most people, everyone’s screen time has increased during the pandemic. This is to be expected as we navigate the various lockdowns and online learning has become a reality.

Despite screen-time being a tricky area to balance, there are a number of top tips and advice that all parents should know. I highly recommend you take a look at the below guides (depending on your child’s age) to learn about how you can support and help balance your child’s screen time. These are provided by InternetMatters.org – a not-for-profit organisation which aims to empower parents and carers to keep children safe in the digital world. 

5 tops tips to help 11-14s balance screen time

5 top tips to help teenagers aged 14+ balance screen time

 

Further Support

5 things Parents should know about screen time – ParentZone

The health impacts of screen time – a guide for clinicians and parents – RCPCH.ac.uk

Reach out to me directly on esafety@brockington.leics.sch.uk for any advice and support. As the College’s CEOP Ambassador, I regularly help and support students with any E-Safety issues/queries/concerns.