POWER OFF!

Decrease your screen time, increase your fun!

Now that the weather is colder, you may be spending more time indoors at school and at home in front of screens. That can be bad for your eyes and your overall health.

We live in a world full of electronics and screens. We can find screens everywhere, from the face of a cell phone to the big movie screen. There are television, computer, tablet screens, and more. People spend time in front of screens for work as well as play. They are necessary, however many people (including kids like you!) spend far too much time in front of a screen.

What counts as screen time?

Screen time includes time spent:

• Watching television

• Using a computer and/or the internet

• Texting and messaging

• Playing video games

Too much time in front of a screen can be harmful to our eyes. People should look away from screens every 20 minutes so our eyes have a chance to focus on other objects before returning to the screen.

How Much Screen Time Do You Have?

Write down your screen time each day for one week. Track your total numbers of hours each day. It could also help to write down what type of screen time it is, for example: computer time, TV watching, cellphone, playing video games. This will give you an idea of how you are spending your time throughout the week.

After you have tracked your screen time for a week, think about these questions:

• How much screen time do you usually have in the morning before school? Is this your routine just about every morning?

• Do you have any screen time during school? How much?

• What about after school, before dinner?

• How about during dinner?

• How about late at night?

• How about on Saturdays? Sundays?

Screen Time Recommendations

You might be surprised by how much screen time pediatricians think is healthy for you to have each day. Here is what they recommend:

• Children younger than 18 months: No screen time, except for occasional video-chatting with family.

• Children 18 to 24 months: Very little; high-quality programs watched along with parents.

• Children ages 2 to 5: One hour or less of high-quality programs each day, under parental supervision.

• Children ages 6 and older: Two hours or less. A screen time limit should be set for children and the whole family. It is important that screen time never replaces healthful behaviors such as physical activity, sleep and interaction with others.

What are Some of the Reasons You Should Limit Your Screen Time?

The more screen time you have, the more time you spend sitting or lying down, not really moving your body.

• The less time you spend moving your body, the higher the chances are that you could end up having too much extra weight on your body.

• Extra weight can cause health problems now and when you get older. Health problems include a weaker heart and bones, high blood pressure and diabetes. These conditions used to be found mostly in older people, now pediatricians are seeing younger kids with these conditions.

Reducing your screen time

Here are some simple things you can do to get your screen time down to about two hours or less:

• Try to remember to turn off the television if nobody is really watching.

• Plan ahead! Look at the shows that are going to be on each day, and choose which ones would be good to watch.

• Turn off the television and games when eating meals.

• Eat food in the kitchen or dining room. Avoid eating while at the computer or watching TV. This helps keep us from eating too much.

• Set a timer to help us remember to get away from the TV or computer or whatever screen we are using, because it is easy to lose track of time when you are in front of a screen.

• Don’t text during family meals or other family activities.

Come up with some ideas of things you would like to do to replace screen time with other activities. They can be things that will be fun to do as a family or with your friends, or sometimes just fun for you on your own.

Keep track of your screen time each day. When you have reached two hours, replace your screen time with a healthy activity. If you have had plenty of exercise already, read a book, make artwork or crafts, or have a conversation with your family members.

Remember, changing habits is challenging for everybody – kids and parents alike. We can all help each other and remind each other we are doing this to not only make improvements in our health, but also to have fun together!