WASHINGTON 鈥� When the temperatures dip, the snow falls and little ones are stuck inside, screen time is practically unavoidable 鈥� especially for parents in need of a few minutes peace.
And while erring on the conservative side of TV and tablet use is recommended, not all time spent watching a show or playing an app is bad. In fact, it can be constructive.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e making a really high-quality choice and building in some time to talk to your kids about what they watched, the screen time can actually boost some key learning skills,鈥� said Sara DeWitt, children’s media expert and vice president of PBS Kids Digital.
To make sure your kids get the most out of their screen time, Dewitt said be strategic when selecting content. Spend a few minutes pinpointing your child鈥檚 top interests 鈥� be it space, animals, trucks, etc. 鈥� and look for a show or an app that focuses on that subject.
鈥淭ry to think a little bit more deliberately. Don鈥檛 just hand a screen to the kids and let them choose whatever,鈥� DeWitt said.
鈥淕ive them a few choices that you know are going to give them some high-quality experiences.鈥�
Then when the show, movie or game is over, talk to your child about what they just watched or played. Ask them questions about the content, and encourage them to think of follow-up questions to expand their learning.
鈥淓ven just a conversation over dinner is a great way to build on what a kid was doing,鈥� DeWitt said.
Need recommendations on age-appropriate shows, movies and apps? Check out : The nonprofit and reviews for books, films, websites 鈥� even streaming-specific guides for the best kids shows on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
If your child is into apps, DeWitt suggests choosing one that 鈥渨ill keep them contained and give them a lot of choices within it鈥� to minimize the likelihood of rolling into an inappropriate show or game. She said both the and apps are great options.
鈥淎nother trick on an iPad or a tablet is to make one screen just the apps for the kid, so that if they press that button and go back to the home screen, what they see immediately in front of them are choices that you鈥檝e made for them,鈥� DeWitt said.
Setting limits is always a good idea, especially when it comes to apps, which, unlike movies and shows, don鈥檛 have a defined ending. The American Academy of Pediatrics children ages 2 to 5 limit screen use to one hour a day; shows kids under 8 spend an average of two hours and 19 minutes a day with screen media.
There鈥檚 no magic number that鈥檚 right for everybody 鈥� especially when bad weather is a factor 鈥� so decide on a limit you feel comfortable with, and remember that quality counts. DeWitt suggests setting a loud timer, so it鈥檚 clear when the allowable amount of screen time is up. Common Sense Media also offers for parents when it comes to screen limits.
