With so many screens about at work, school and everyday life, getting too much screentime is an increasing problem, and when your choice of entertainment also requires a screen, it can be hard to disconnect from them.

The UK government has issued guidance on screen time for British youth, in which the advice is that children under 2 years old should avoid screens altogether except when supervised in moments that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation.

For those aged between 2 and 5 years old, there should be a limit of just one hour a day and that hour should not be at mealtimes or before bedtime. This is because the blue light emitted by phones, tablets and televisions can interfere with the production of the hormone that regulates sleep, melatonin. This means it can keep children and adults alert, making it harder to drop off and reducing the quality of their sleep when they do, possibly contributing to long-term health issues.

For children older than 5, this recommendation goes up to no more than two hours a day, outside of schoolwork, and should be balanced with active and physical interests each day. Establishing screen-free zones can help create healthy routines, providing spaces for rest, play, and family interaction. Screen time should also be balanced with at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

Across all age groups, it’s important to prioritise educational and slower-paced content over fast-moving, highly stimulating material, which can shorten attention spans and encourage habitual or excessive viewing.

What are the 5 Cs of screen time?

A framework developed by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), this is guidance to help parents understand, monitor and regulate the use of screens by their children.

Child: Every child is unique and so different children will have different levels of responsibility and use screens differently. You need to consider the media they are consuming based around their personality and sensibilities as well as their age.

Content: Is what they are playing age appropriate and is the content educational? Imaginative and creative play is far better than passive consumption of overly commercial media.

Context: Why is the child using a screen? If it’s to learn or to connect with others, then these positive contexts are more beneficial.

Crowding Out: What would the child be doing instead of watching a screen? If it is interfering with sleep, learning or socialising then it is having a negative impact but if they’re using it for homework or other learning opportunities then that means there are positives in play.

Communication: Talk to your child regularly about their screentime, gaming habits and more. Make sure they understand the impacts and gather information on their habits.

What is the 3 6 9 12 rule for screen time?

A rule by French psychiatrist Dr. Serge Tisseron, the idea behind this is to help parents understand how much regulation of screen time they should apply to their children’s viewing habits. This rule of thumb, combined with the 5C’s above, is a good starting place to making positive steps with the use of screens.

The idea is that before the age of 3 there should be no screens with the exception of video calls from family. Before 6 there should be no personal games consoles, tablets or portable devices and any media consumed should be supervised and ideally educational. Before 9, there should be no unsupervised internet time and any usage of it should be supervised by an adult with healthy conversations around the dangers of the internet regularly taking place. Before 12 there should be no independent social media usage so that parents and guardians can focus on teaching digital citizenship and safe online research techniques.

How long should a 10-year-old be allowed to play video games?

Combining the above guidelines, a 10-year-old generally should be fine with having their own personal console providing they understand self-regulation and the importance of other activities around it that are physically and mentally engaging.

Between 1 or 2 hours a day would be recommended, providing they then aren’t watching non-educational television or scrolling social media afterwards. Keeping bedrooms screen free can help with this and aid in ensuring they sleep properly once being disconnected from screens.

Of course, all children are different and engage with technology differently and these are just guidelines. To learn more about keeping your child safe while gaming online, read our blog here.

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