Children learn best through interacting with adults and the world around them. Use of screen time when a child is very young is linked to long-term difficulties with attention, communication, problem-solving and social skills
Two hours of television a day can negatively impact a child’s behaviour and their ability to manage their emotions.
Recommendations from World Health Organisation (WHO)
- No screen time for children 0-2 years old
- Up to 1 hour of screen time a day for children 2-4 years old
Top tips
- Turn off background TV.
- Limit your child’s access to the TV, iPad/tablet/computer and phone.
- Spend time playing with your child.
- Talk to your child about the world around them.
Strategies to help reduce screen time
You may find the following strategies useful to help you to reduce your child’s screen time:
Sand timer
A sand timer or digital timer can be used as a visual aid to support your child’s understanding of how much time they have left or to count down to the next activity.
Visual timetable
You could include access to the ipad/phone/computer within your child’s daily routine to help them to understand that they will be expected to participate in a range of activities within the day.
First/then
Encourage your child to join in with less-preferred activities first such as story-time, imaginative play etc. with the reward of screen time for a limited time following this.
Visit the BBC website for more ideas on how to engage your child in play and develop their communication skills.
