Discover 6 effective strategies for balancing screen time in your home, promoting healthy child development and fostering creativity. Learn how to set boundaries, encourage meaningful use, and maintain a healthy tech-life balance for your kids.

Balancing Screen Time for Kids: 6 Strategies We Use in Our Home to Help You Find the Right Approach for Healthy Child Development

Balancing screen time for kids can feel like an uphill battle, but with clear rules and a little flexibility, it’s totally manageable. For the most part, we’ve all heard about the negative effects of screen time on child development over the years, and now, we’re beginning to see more concerning impacts of screen time on children’s mental health. Specifically, issues with sleep, anxiety, and depression are addressed in Dr. Michelle Yang’s research, linked below. However, it’s important to note that the same research also implies there are benefits of screen time for children. Therefore, raising kids without screens might have the same negative effects as too much screen time. Did I just confuse you? No worries! The key takeaway here is that, as with most parenting decisions, finding a balance in managing screen time for our kids is essential.

In our home, my daughters, Della and Emma, love their devices, especially their Chromebooks which they also use daily at school. While we want them to embrace technology, we also prioritize creativity, thinking time, and non-digital activities.

This morning, after our 7 AM church service, my husband was making pancakes when Della asked if she could use her Chromebook. Of course, Emma immediately wanted hers too. Emma is known to sneak screen time, so I had to stay on top of that. This moment reminded me how important it is to have solid screen time rules that actually work.

Quick funny side note – The girls  serve at church and this morning had to check in using a computer; one of the older gentlemen was amazed that “kids their age could do that on their own”. I laughed because, let’s be real—these kids can do way more than that. They aren’t just passive consumers of technology; they’re growing up in a world where digital skills are as fundamental as reading and writing.

That’s why I don’t want to ban screens altogether. Technology is a huge part of their generation, and it has real benefits, but it’s also easy for screen time to spiral out of control. Here’s how we manage it in our home.

6 Strategies We Use in Our Home to Manage Screen Time

1. No Screens Monday Through Thursday (Unless It’s for Homework)

One of our most effective rules is no personal screen time during the school week. They can use their Chromebooks for homework if needed, but there’s no gaming, no YouTube, and no TV from Monday to Thursday. This rule came from realizing that they already use computers at school every day. If they come home and immediately jump back on a screen, when do they have time to be bored, be creative, or just play?

At first, they pushed back. “But my friends get to watch TV!” (Ah yes, the classic “but everyone else…” argument.) But over time, they got used to it, and now it’s just the norm. In fact, I’ve noticed something interesting: on Friday afternoons, when they finally get their screens back, they’re more intentional with their time. It’s not mindless scrolling; they actually have things they’ve been looking forward to doing.

This rule also makes weekend screen time feel special rather than expected. I remember growing up with strict TV limits (minus the whole “homework on a computer” part), and the excitement of rushing to the TV on Friday night with my siblings to catch Sabrina the Teenage Witch and 7th Heaven on TGIF. Now, my girls get to experience that same anticipation, though we are more careful with what they consume. Interestingly, Dr. Yang’s research suggested that weekend screen time had a more detrimental effect than weekday screen time, which it attributed to the possibility that weekend screen time was more for entertainment, while weekday screen time was more educational. This reinforces the idea that balancing screen time for kids is important to ensure it’s used in ways that benefit their development.

Regardless, we maintain that there is no personal screen time during the week in our home, other than homework. 

2. Set Clear Time Limits for Personal Screen Time

When they do get screen time, we don’t let it take over the whole day. They have a total of 45 minutes on their own devices for the entire day, and they know that upfront. This prevents meltdowns when it’s time to turn it off.

Weekend family movie nights are separate from this limit. We love curling up together for a good movie on Friday or Saturday nights, but that’s a shared activity, not solo screen time.

One thing I’ve learned is that vague limits don’t work. If I say, “Okay, that’s enough screen time,” without giving a clear expectation in advance, there’s always negotiation and resistance. But if they know from the start, there’s no debate; it’s just the rule.

3. Encourage Meaningful Screen Time

Not all screen time is created equal. I don’t mind them using screens as long as they’re learning something or being creative.

Emma loves playing fast-paced clicking games that require hand-eye coordination, and I get that there’s some value in that. But I also try to introduce them to other tools, like Google Slides and most recently Canva for Della.  These have been huge because they let the girls create, design, and build something rather than just passively consuming content watching TV or YouTube shorts.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about introducing Excel. Right now, they’re just having fun with Word and I want them to start randomly entering numbers and playing with formatting in Excel; even that exposure is valuable. The more they get comfortable with these tools now, the more confident they’ll be later.

4. Have a Plan (But Let Them Figure It Out, Too)

One thing I’ve realized? If kids are completely bored with no screens allowed, the entire family suffers.

I don’t want to be the one constantly coming up with ideas for them. They need to learn how to entertain themselves. But I also know that if they’re struggling to figure out what to do, a little guidance helps.

I might ask:

Did you finish the book you were reading, Della?

Want to plan a game of Uno, Emma?

Sometimes they take the suggestion; sometimes they don’t. Either way, it gets them thinking.

We also spend a lot of time outside. We’re lucky to have an enclosed yard, and I’ve noticed that when screens aren’t an option, Della often journals on the deck. I never told her to do that, she just figured it out on her own.

I want them to develop problem-solving skills, but I also recognize that sometimes, they need a nudge in the right direction.

5. Supervised Digital Exploration

Our kids are growing up in a digital-first world, and I want them to be prepared. That’s why I don’t just regulate screen time, I also teach them how to use technology responsibly.

Recently, Della started researching how to start a business. Under supervision, I let her explore this interest. She’s learning internet safety, digital literacy, and real-world skills, all while being engaged in something she’s excited about.

I’d rather they learn these skills now, under my guidance, than figure them out later on their own with no supervision.

6. The Reality: Sometimes the TV is the Babysitter, and That’s Okay

Let’s be real here! there are moments when the TV comes to the rescue.

Maybe I need to make an important phone call, or I just need 30 minutes of quiet. When that happens, I don’t feel guilty about letting them watch a show. Because we’ve managed screen time for our kids well overall, these moments are exceptions, not the norm.

And honestly? It makes those rare TV moments feel like a treat rather than an expectation.

Final Thoughts: Managing Screen Time for Kids

Managing screen time isn’t about strict bans or unlimited access; it’s about finding a system that works for your family.

For us, that means:

• No screens during the school week (except for homework)
• 45-minute daily limits on personal devices on weekends
• Encouraging creative and meaningful screen time
• Helping them figure out how to entertain themselves
• Supervising digital exploration
• Recognizing that sometimes, a little TV is totally fine

Parenting and technology is a constant learning process. Some days we get it right; other days, we adjust.

I’d love to hear from you! How do you handle screen time in your home? Let’s chat in the comments!

References

CHOC Health. (2024, August 27). The effects of screen time on children: The latest research parents should know. CHOC Health. https://health.choc.org/the-effects-of-screen-time-on-children-the-latest-research-parents-should-know/