Families For Life | Teenage Screen Time and Digital Technology Use: Tips for Balance

Screen time and digital technology use for teenagers: part of a healthy lifestyle

Screen time and digital technology use can be part of a healthy lifestyle when it is balanced with other activities that are good for development and wellbeing. These activities include physical activity, co-curricular activities and socialising. Getting the right balance also includes making sure screen time does not interfere with sleep.

Our tips can help your child use screens in a balanced and healthy way.

1. Use rules about screen time and digital technology use

You can help your child balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities. One of the best ways to do this is by working together on family rules or a family media plan.

Rules might cover:

where your child can use digital technology – e.g. only in the living room, not in the bedroom at night, or not in the car
when your child can use digital technology – e.g. mealtimes are free of television, computers and phones, or no social media until chores and homework are finished
how your child can use digital technology – for example, for making a podcast or watching a TEDx talk, but not for doing things on multiple devices at once
how you handle digital technology use for children of different ages – for example, there might be some games that your older child can play only when their younger sibling is out or has gone to bed
how your child can stay safe online – for example, by talking with them about upsetting and inappropriate content, privacy and location settings and personal data safety.

It is okay if your rules include time limits to help your child balance screen time with other things, like physical activity. For example, it might help to know that Singapore Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that teenagers should accumulate an average of 60 minutes in moderate-to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per day across the week.

If you negotiate your family’s media rules or plan with your child, it gives your child the chance to understand the rules and take responsibility for following them. Negotiating the rules also sends the message that you trust your child to become a responsible digital citizen.

2. Aim for short screen time sessions

Getting up and moving around is important for your teenage child’s energy levels, development, sleep and overall health and wellbeing.

When your child is using digital technology, it is best for your child to have short screen time sessions and take regular breaks. For example, you could encourage your child to:

use a timer to set breaks
get up and move when the timer ends
make use of natural breaks to move around – for example, when they reach a level in a game.

3. Make physical activity part of your child’s day

Physical activity keeps teenage bodies and minds fit and healthy. Your child needs at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. This might include everyday activities like walking or cycling to school, sports like netball and football, or organised fitness activities like exercise classes, swimming and running.

Teenagers often need to plan the balance between physical activity and other activities, including screen time. Keeping track of physical activity using a wearable activity tracker might motivate your child to find a balance.

4. Look into co-curricular activities

Co-curricular activities, interests and hobbies are good for your child because they give your child the chance to meet new people and develop new skills. This means they are a great way to balance screen time.

Co-curricular activities can be just about anything your child enjoys outside school, like sports, drama, Scouts and Girl Guides, or hobbies like craft or photography. They can also be things that you have encouraged your child to do, like language classes, music, debating, religious classes, swimming, community activities or part-time work.

5. Encourage socialising and friendship

Even if your child uses social media to keep up with friends, it is good for your child to socialise face to face too. Being with other people helps your child develop social skills and gives your child a social group to do new things with, especially things that are different from what your family does.

You can support your child’s face-to-face friendships by making sure your child feels comfortable inviting friends over and giving them space in your home. You can also help your child plan social activities like sports in the park or a trip to the movies.

6. Avoid screen time and digital technology use before bed

Teenagers need plenty of sleep – 8-10 hours a night.

Screen time and digital technology use before bed can affect how quickly your child falls asleep. If your child avoids mobile phones, smartwatches with apps, tablets, computer screens or television in the hour before bed, your child is likely to get to sleep more quickly.

7. Keep digital technology out of bedrooms at night

If you keep mobile phones and other devices out of your child’s bedroom at night, your child will not be able to stay up late playing games or messaging friends. This can also stop your child being disturbed in the night by notifications, messages or calls.

Teenagers use digital technology for schoolwork, entertainment, socialising and more. They often have a lot of screen time and regularly use more than one screen at a time. Healthy screen habits help your teenage child make better choices about when and how to use digital technology in their free time.