Want to set limits for screen time use? FREE printable screen time rules checklist for kids to encourage fun activiites before earning screen time.
Screen Time Rules Checklist for Kids
We live in a world where access to devices, and information is readily available. This can be a great thing, but it’s also a bad thing. Especially for kids, and also for parents who don’t want their kids glued to a screen all the time.
In the last decade, screen time on tablets, gaming, watching movies and television, using phones and other devices, has replaced more traditional childhood activities like you and I, as adults, likely experienced.
Studies show that today’s children spend less time outside and engage in less physical activity than previous generations.
Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation urging doctors to prescribe playtime to children. They cited screen time as one key reason children are playing less and value the importance of physical activity, family connection and getting outdoors.
Technology and structured “free time” has replaced playing in the backyard, riding bikes, and family walks for example, but so have the scientifically proven benefits of health, immune system and development that come along with agenda-less time, natural sunlight and face-to-face interaction.
The thing is nature and devices don’t mix.
You know what also doesn’t mix?
Devices and family time.
You can’t have both, without sacrificing one or the other.
Today’s children do less socializing and have far less face-to-face interactions which result in less meaningful relationships and connections to friends, and even immediate family.
–> You can download your Screen Time Rules Checklist for Kids at the Bottom of this Article.
How Does Too Much Screen Time Affect a Child?
A new, large-scale study set out to answer a big, important question: how does screen time affect psychological well-being throughout childhood? in kids ages 2 – 17.
The study looked at a range of electronic use including computers, electronic devices, cell phones, television and video games.
Here’s what the study found:
- Children use screens on average of just over three (3) hours per day.
- Time spent using electronics increases with age; high-schoolers average more than four (4) hours of daily screen time.
- Kids who use electronics more than one (1) hour per day showed more psychological distress and diminished well-being than those who used it for less than 60 minutes a day or not at all.
The study also found that children who used electronics for more than 1 hour a day:
- Have less self-control,
- Are more likely to be agitated,
- Have less emotional stability,
- Are more likely to argue with their parents,
- Have a harder time making friends,
- Are more distracted,
- Showed less curiosity about learning and of the world around them,
- And are more likely to give up on tasks they found challenging or before they completed the task.
If You’re Curious or Looking for a Screen-Free Activity Plan…
Looking to Limit Screen Time – Download This Printable Screen Time Rules Checklist
My kids are allowed to watch 45 – 60 minutes of screen time per day. Since we’re on a school break right now I’m a bit more flexible and we’re closer to the 60 minutes, but we stick to these guidelines for them earning their screen time each day.
Earning screen time?
Yep! My kids have to get all their chores done, making their beds, read, play outside in nature, and do kind things for one another to earn their screen time.
What happens if they don’t complete the checklist?
It’s simple. They can try again the next day and won’t have screen time that day.
Here’s what I’ve found when we use screen time rules.
- My kids get so wrapped up in playing outside or doing artwork, that they stop asking for screens and device use.
- My kids lose track of time and hang outside all day.
- There are days when the television never goes on, and devices stay in the cupboard.
Here’s what the Printable Screen Time Rules Checklist for Kids Looks like and download your PDF copy here (as well as a blank version to fill in however works best for your family).
Screentime Rules, Internet Safety & Encouraging Playtime:
- Creating Screentime Rules for Summer (Free Printable)
- List of 98 Kid-Approved Indoor Activities for Kids on School Break/Closure
- Ultimate List of 40 Best Family Night Ideas to Try With Kids
- FREE Nature Scavenger Hunt PDF Printable
- School Break Plan for Parents & Kids
- 10 Simple Ways to Limit Screen Time & Raise Unplugged Kids
- Dangers of Popular Social Media Apps & Setting Limits with Technology
- The Harmful Effects of Excessive Screen Time for Kids
