Managing screen time has become a persistent concern for American parents in recent years. With children spending increasing amounts of time on phones, tablets and computers, it’s often important for co-parents to create consistent guidelines for screen usage.
When drafting a parenting plan, addressing screen time can help both parents enforce similar rules, minimize the risk of conflict and better ensure a balanced lifestyle for their child. If you are co-parenting with your ex and your parenting plan doesn’t yet address this issue, it may be time to discuss a modification to your current document.
Important considerations
Children benefit from consistent rules and expectations across both homes, often especially when it comes to screen time. If one parent allows unlimited use of devices while the other strictly limits them, it can lead to confusion and frustration for a child. Moreover, inconsistent rules may cause tension between co-parents. By agreeing on a shared approach to screen time – and formalizing this approach in your parenting plan – you can help to provide stability and minimize conflict.
When addressing screen time in your parenting plan, consider setting limits that are appropriate for your child’s age. Younger children may require more strict limits on screen usage, focusing on educational content and minimizing entertainment-based activities. For older children and teenagers, it may be more practical to set guidelines around balancing screen time with other activities, such as homework and family time. Incorporating recommendations from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) can serve as a helpful guide for setting reasonable screen time limits based on developmental stages.
Lastly, you’ll want to keep in mind that not all screen time is created equal. It may be helpful to distinguish between educational screen time (such as using devices for homework or learning apps) and entertainment screen time (such as gaming or social media). Your parenting plan can specify how much time should be devoted to each type of screen usage based on your family’s values. Similarly, setting rules for specific activities, such as limiting access to social media or requiring parental approval for certain apps, can help to safeguard your child’s well-being.
Addressing screen time in your parenting plan may not be a straightforward task. But, given the stakes of what certain screen time approaches can do to your child’s development, it is an important one.