Did you know that the average adult spends over 7 hours per day on a screen? And despite the recommended screen time guidelines for children, many kids are spending between 5 and 7 hours on electronic devices too!
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are fed up with device distraction consuming your days.
You are not alone
Nobody intends to waste so much time online, but the pull of technology is real.
Screens were strategically engineered to lure us in and lull us into a passive state of enjoyment.
When is the last time you examined your screen time report? And if you have kids, when was the last time you logged the amount of time they spend with electronic devices?
Knowing the true data about how much time we spend on tech is the first step to fixing the problem.
Ready to take a social media break? Start here:
Why should screen time be limited?
The benefits of reducing screen time are incredible. I experienced so many tangible health and relational benefits when I began to limit screen time for myself and my kids.
The best part is that you can experience many “reduce screen time benefits” within a day or two of getting started!
Benefits of Reducing Screen Time
Do you ever go online with the intention of decompressing? We’ve been sold the lie that time on the internet will help us relax, but the truth is less screen time equals less bodily stress.
Who among us would not like to live our lives with reduced cortisol levels?
Limiting screen time also has the power to improve your brain function, posture, and sleep habits.
When you reduce technology usage, you are naturally more likely to connect meaningfully with other humans, read great books, and boost your daily physical movement.
Let’s dive deeper into the awesome benefits that you can experience when you choose to reduce screen time and receive back up to 7.5 hours of your life, per day!
Increased Productivity
If you eliminated just 4 hours of your daily screen time, you would gain back 28 hours per week. That’s an entire day of your life that would have otherwise been spent staring at a screen.
You’d also gain back 112 hours per month and 1,344 hours per year.
Imagine what you could do with that kind of time.
It is no secret that internet scrolling and hours on social media steal a large chunk of time in most people’s days.
All we have to do is view the weekly screen time report on our smartphones and do a little math.
Although it is recommended that children between eight and eighteen spend no more than two hours a day on screens, many families are exceeding these prescribed ideals.
Most children and adults in the Western world are giving up a third of their day to screen time for entertainment purposes alone.
This is no small sacrifice.
Think of all the good things we are not doing—or at least not doing very well—when we attempt to “multitask” while distracted by screens.
I know that for me as a mom, simple household chores became overwhelming, even insurmountable, when I was hooked on my device.
I felt ruled by the screen, compelled to check every notification, lethargic, and lazy.
Interactions that should have been easy with my family became way harder than they needed to be when I was distracted by a dinging device.
Ever since we chose to place technology in its proper place, as a tool—not a source of endless entertainment and not an electronic babysitter for our children—we have gained back HOURS in our days to complete the goals that actually matter to us as a family.
Ready to do a phone detox, Mama? Start here:
Free Printable to help your family reduce screen time:
Healthier Habits
Shows, apps, video games, and social media were designed to suck us in and keep us entertained so that we would stay logged on longer and continually come back for more.
When my husband and I allowed tech to be a constant option in our home, we didn’t realize how many good things we were missing out on.
Screens were effecting so many areas of our lives including our relationships and our mental, physical, and emotional health.
We were lacking many of the healthy habits that characterize balanced people.
Too Much Screen Time Hurt Our Family
When we ate in front of screens, we didn’t eat very well.
When we used screens before bed, we slept poorly.
When the TV was always on, we were not readers.
When we sought connection on social media, we disconnected from each other.
When virtual distraction was always an option, we did not go outside very much.
When we could veg out on screens, we didn’t exercise our brains the way we do now.
What happened when we reduced screen time?
When our family reduced screen time, we gained back hours of our life. We replaced the hours we used to waste online with healthy activities such as rest, outdoor play, exercise, human interaction, and reading.
We began to to live a much more balanced life. In turn, we became a happier family.
If you are feeling frustrated with your family’s screen time consumption, consider trading in half of your screen time for healthy habits that will serve you and your family for life instead!
Feeling disconnected from your family because of too much screen time? Grab my free printable Screen Free Family Bingo below! It has lots of simple activities to help you unplug from the virtual world and plug in to what truly matters.
Our Low-Tech Family
Seven years ago, my husband and I were feed up with our addiction to screens.
We knew that if we didn’t make a change quick, our family was headed down a trajectory of disconnection and discord.
If we had continued down the path of virtual distraction, we were sure we’d miss out on precious time and memories with our children and that we’d be setting them up for their own device dependency.
Instead of continuing to live with tech at the center of our lives, we made some countercultural moves.
We donated our only television, deleted all of our social media accounts, traded in our smartphones for flip phones, and vowed never to purchase our young children their own personal tablets or iPads.
When we removed the devices from our home, we felt so free. It was easy to become healthier, more productive individuals without the temptation to digitally veg out or the ability to scroll always at our fingertips.
We started setting and reaching personal goals, forming healthier habits, and influencing our children to do the same.
Not everyone has to forsake all of their electronic devices in order to increase productivity or get healthy.
There are plenty of ways to reduce screen time and form boundaries without owning a flip phone. But for our family, getting tech out of sight was what worked best to help us achieve the intentional lifestyle we desired.
Need some simple screen time alternatives for your kids so that you can get a break as a mom without turning to the electronic babysitter? Check out this post
More Benefits of Reducing Screen Time
Better Posture
Screen time hinders our posture. If we are constantly bent over and craning our necks to stare at a screen, our backs will suffer for it.
We were meant to look forward at humans and gaze up at real live sunsets. Not hunch over all day long, transfixed on images on a handheld computer.
When we live the bulk of our day primarily online, we hurt our posture by bending to feel the illusion of an experience.
Social media keeps us staring, scrolling, liking and commenting.
It keeps us searching for connection that we were meant to experience with other people in-person and with the world all around us.
We were meant to interact with humans face to face where we can see their smile, hear their tone, and understand their body language.
We were meant to stand up straight and be present participants in our own lives.
We were meant to look out and enjoy the simple pleasures found in nature.
By choosing to reduce the time we spend hunched over with our devices, we will be one step closer to improving our posture and our outlook on life.
Improved Sleep
One of my favorite benefits of reducing screen time is the high quality, rejuvenating rest that takes place when we stop scrolling and staring at the glow of a screen before bed.
When I was a high tech user, I’d often scroll on my device right before bed and check my device right away when I woke up in the morning. My sleep was very low quality.
Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night multiple times feeling anxious.
When morning came, I was not rejuvenated. I felt lethargic and frustrated by this poor sleep cycle.
Ever since I decided not to stare at the stimulating blue light glow of devices before bed, I have slept so much better.
I made changes in my morning routine that affect my sleep patterns as well.
Instead of getting on the internet first thing in the morning, I go right outside with a big bottle of water and allow my eyes to open with the sun. This not only improves my day, it also improves my next night’s sleep.
Need help reducing screen time for kids? I’ve got you!
Restored Brain Function
In our family, limiting screen time meant increasing reading time.
When you abruptly stop spending one third of your day scrolling, you will desire to replace that overstimulation with forms of healthy stimulation.
Reading has so many benefits in and of itself such as improved brain function, increased ability to focus, and lower stress levels. Reducing screen time and replacing some of those freed up hours with reading is a no brainer!
Stronger Social Life
Limiting screen time also has relational benefits. When we chose to lay down our device-dependency, we naturally desired to restore relationships.
For all the time that we spent seeking pseudo connection on social media, we began to form thriving community in real life.
When our family cut out excessive screen time, we began to pursue screen free hospitality.
We made it a point to invite other families over for dinner on a regular basis.
We hosted simple social events like Make-Your-Own-Sundae Bars, fall parties, pool parties, taco dinners, and family game nights.
We quickly noticed that even our high-tech peers loved being invited into real life community. People eagerly laid aside their phones to interact with other humans. It was a beautiful thing.
Repaired Relationships
Beyond the relationships that were formed outside of our nuclear family, there was a lot of repair work that was done within our most intimate relationships when we reduced screen time.
So many benefits of reducing screen time were incurred in our family relationships.
My husband and I now aim for a screen free marriage in which social media and buzzing devices have no power to drive a wedge between us.
We also seek to be screen free parents who give our little ones our undivided attention, unlimited eye contact, smiles, and long hugs when we interact with them.
The intentional choice to limit screen time has caused a snowball effect of many relational benefits in our lives.
We are by no means perfect spouses or perfect parents. We make our fair share of mistakes. But we have set ourselves up for relational success by limiting screen time and engaging with one another free of distractions.
What are the pros and cons of screen time?
There is good and bad in most things, but it is no secret that screen time has gotten out of control for many people today.
Personally, I would rather deal with the inconveniences associated with not having a smartphone than the negative side effects of being highly dependent on a device.
However, there is no denying that technology does have its purpose in our modern world.
Devices can be beneficial when they are used as a tool to serve us for specific reasons, rather than a master that rules our lives.
Here are some pros of screen time when used properly as a tool:
- It can help us earn money through technology based careers
- It can help us learn new things from the convenience of our homes
- It can help us keep in touch with long-distance family and friends
- It can help us capture memories through photos and video
- It can help us further our education through courses and virtual schooling
- It can make our work more efficient if we use it wisely do not get distracted from the task at hand
Here are some cons that come up when we allow our children to indulge in frequent screen time or when we ourselves spend too much time on screens:
- Behavioral issues
- Mood problems
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Obesity
- Low productivity
- Lethargy
- Sleep trouble
- Relational discord
- Low attention span
- Concentration problems
- Lack of imagination
- Brain function issues
- Social insecurity
- Bullying at our fingertips
- Poor communication skills
- Disconnection from humans in-person
- Unreasonable expectations for stimulation compared to what reality is actually like
- Decreased appetite for healthy habits
- Reading regular books feels boring
- Simple things are no long spectacular
- The outdoors loses its luster
Are your kid’s grandparents breaking your screen time rules? Here are simple solutions:
Should parents limit screen time?
Parents should absolutely limit screen time.
As a loving parent, you are the gatekeeper to your child’s mind for the first decade and a half of their lives.
It is important to set them up for future success by protecting their brains, helping them form healthy habits, and cultivating an appreciation for the simple things in life while they are young.
Limit Screen Time for Kids
Think of yourself alone in your home. You are hungry. It is time for lunch.
There is a vibrant green salad garnished with bright red strawberries sitting on the table.
The salad has all the delightful flavors a person could wish for. There are crunchy almond slivers, sunflower seeds, sweet carrots, and juicy mandarin oranges.
Grilled chicken, seasoned to perfection, is layered throughout the salad.
An array of tasty dressing options sit in the fridge, waiting for you to drizzle one on.
Beside the salad, is a large glass of fresh spring water.
Sounds like a refreshing lunch, right?
This is Instagram-worthy. You know you will look great and feel great after eating it.
Just as you are about to dig in, your spouse comes home with a bucket of your favorite fried chicken and potato wedges.
Not only that, but he has a three layer chocolate mousse cake and a bottle of soda.
The salad that looked so good a moment ago doesn’t appear nearly as satiating when you smell that salty fried chicken.
If you are human like me and you are going to indulge in the fast food, you might as well have a big slice of cake to go with it.
Chocolate mousse just doesn’t go with kale salad.
This is what it is like with our children when we allow unfettered access to screen time but wonder why they struggle to play outdoors, entertain themselves, read for pleasure, communicate well, and enjoy simple activities.
Every once in a while, it’s ok to eat fast food. But if our diet is made up of mostly unhealthy, greasy options, we are going to lose our taste for the foods that will actual nourish our bodies.
When it comes to screen time, it is not enough to tell our kids the good things they ought to do, we also must set an example and remove the temptations.
If we want our kids to think things like riding their bike and reading before bedtime are treats, we need to restrict the things they currently consider to be the prize, such as violent video games, flashy cartoon shows, and educational apps that ding like a slot machine.
Screen Time for Kids
When we had two kids under two years old, we noticed that the TV we kept on in the background of our life acted as a magnetic force for their eyes. They could not look away.
Play dough and picture books were not nearly as appealing as the fast paced programming that was available to my kids back then.
One of the best decisions we have ever made as parents was to limit screen time and gift our kids a low-tech childhood.
When we took screen time off the table, our kids learned the magic of free play. They stopped expecting virtual entertainment and began to do the beautiful work of being kids, unhindered by technology.
Their imaginations blossomed.
Now, instead of begging for screen time, our kids get creative.
They play, both indoors and outdoors, for hours on end.
They read piles of books beyond their reading level.
They write stories, paint pictures, and build things with their hands.
They plant gardens, point out birds, and delight in the animals they see outside.
They go swimming and jump on the trampoline.
They climb trees and play basketball in our driveway.
Our kids are absolutely thriving in our low-tech lifestyle.
We have seen so many incredible benefits of reducing screen time for our family.
Now, we use technology occasionally as a tool to enhance our lives, but it is no longer a “given.”
Screen time isn’t a daily expectation. Our kids don’t expect to be entertained by devices anymore.
Reality has become the rule, virtual reality is the exception.
All of that being said, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Not every parent has to trade in their smartphone for a flip phone in order to be intentional and reap the benefits of a low tech lifestyle.
Reduce screen time. Cut it in half. Get the devices out of sight and out of mind for the majority of your kid’s waking hours, most days of the week.
Stash the phones and tablets in a closet. Turn off the TV. Donate the video game console or keep it in the basement until the weekend.
However you choose to go about it, simply choose to be intentional about yours and your kid’s screen time consumption.
There are so many relational and health benefits to be gained from reducing screen time and plugging in to real life.
Which benefit are you most excited about receiving from limiting screen time?
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