Managing Kiwi Kids’ Screen Time: Simple Strategies For These School Holidays

With the school holidays fast approaching, effectively managing Kiwi kids’ screen time is front-of-mind for many families across New Zealand. Well aware of the challenges many families are facing, Triple P – Positive Parenting Program have some simple strategies to help create a healthy balance with their time on devices over the break.

Research from the OECD shows that the use of screen time in New Zealand’s young people has increased from 22 to 42 hours per week between 2012 and 2018. More recent data from Netsafe NZ has also found frequent and extensive device use can pose a range of health risks to the health and wellbeing of children, including an impact on sleep cycles, reduced physical activity and the risk of weakening communication and social skills.

Jackie Riach, Triple P New Zealand Country Lead and Psychologist understands the challenges family and whānau grapple with over this issue.

“The good news is, there are a range of effective ways to support your children to maintain a positive relationship with the digital world, while simultaneously strengthening trust and transparency within the family,” she says. With Triple P’s practical strategies, parents and carers can make the most of their time together over the school holidays, while also promoting a healthy and balanced approach to using devices:

• Set a screen time schedule: The New Zealand Ministry of Health’s guidelines suggest that children under two should have no screen time, two-to-five-year old’s should have a maximum of one hour a day and five years and above should have no more than two hours. When whānau and family decide on a daily or weekly schedule for using technology, expectations are clear about when and where it is not OK to use screens – like during family meals, kai times, or the critical hour before bedtime.
• Swap time on devices for other activities: Replace the time you would normally spend on a device with something else, such as physical activity or an indoor hobby, like baking. This way your young person can engage their brain in different and new ways, while also spending quality time as a family. That’s a win-win.
• Keep the conversation open and honest: Regardless of age, many people turn to screens to socialise, so cutting this out during the school holidays – when kids aren’t seeing their friends everyday – can lead to conflict within families and whānau. Have an open and honest conversation about the ‘why,’ so kids don’t feel blindsided or unsupported in their feelings. Remember that change can be hard and overwhelming.
• Acknowledge there is no quick fix: The school holidays present a range of challenges – and tackling screen time is just one of them. It’s OK to not get it perfect from the start, so try looking at it as an ongoing learning opportunity for the whole family, rather than a quick fix. Celebrate what your young person has achieved rather than what they haven’t as change takes trial, error and time.

“Every family is unique, and there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Prevention and early intervention strategies to support healthy digital behaviours are important to supporting a range of good social and emotional outcomes for children and teens” says Jackie Riach.

For Sophie, with her son Zane (13) and daughter Zoe (11), managing her children’s screen time is a real challenge.

“Honestly we struggle trying to maintain the balance of allowing the kids time on their devices, going to sport, and helping out with chores,” she says. “The tools and tips that Triple P suggest are great reminders and I just need to be more planned and proactive about applying them.”

You can find out more about teaching kids to use screen time responsibly on Triple P’s website here Thanks to government funding, Triple P programmes are delivered to families across four regions in New Zealand through a Ministry of Health initiative.

Feedback from families and whānau that have used Triple P’s online programmes is overwhelming, with parents and caregivers expressing that they feel calmer, more confident and are better supported in understanding their children’s needs.

Delivery of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program to parents and carers of children in New Zealand is supported by the New Zealand Government in Waitemata, Counties Manukau, Mid Central and Bay of Plenty, enabling community organisations to offer parenting support to families and whānau. Find out more at: www.triplep-parenting.net.nz/

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