kids spending excessive screen time during Summer vacation How to limit screen time for children

Summer vacation is just around the corner. For children, it typically means freedom from the day-to-day routine of school. However, for parents, the words “summer vacation” tend to conjure up a dilemma: how to make sure devices and screens don’t fill every waking minute of every day for two months. With plenty of spare time in hand during holidays, 85% of surveyed parents are worried about kids spending excessive screen time during the break. 

To help kids make the most of their summer vacation, parents want them to pick up skills such as English speaking (50%); good morals and social manners (45%); performing arts like dancing, singing and playing musical instruments (36%); arts and crafts (32%); and physical & outdoor activities (32%).

Tips to limit screen time for children

• It's the near activity that causes a possible risk for short-sightedness in children and so it's important to restrict their near activities be it gadgets or novel reading etc.
• Let them use TV or large screens from a distance for viewing cartoon shows or movies with a limit of 1 hour per day
• Absolute restriction to near gadgets such as mobiles, tablets or laptops
• Have a balanced day for kids with a mix of outdoor and indoor activities
• Encourage them to play outside especially in the morning before 10 or after 3 to 4 in the evening
• Take care of the general health of the child which can have a bearing on eye health too
• As the age-old saying goes, early to bed and early to rise is always going to be useful for the overall health of the child
• Help them sort their time with summer classes or family time sessions or group activities in your apartments.

Kids these days use their devices for everything: research for school projects, texting with friends, letting us know they’re safe when they’re out, as well as for gaming and consuming media. Yet kids need to spend time outdoors or reading books, or simply just thinking. However, it can be difficult to set and then reliably and consistently enforce rules. As with most everything else in life, developing a game plan can help pave the way for success