How to reduce your child's screentime

1. Be accountable, realistic and engaged

Set expectations with your kids, and create goals to be intentional about reducing screen time. Many devices have features to set time limits for use.

If your kids spend a lot of leisure time on screens, including watching TV, start by setting smaller, more attainable goals. Instead of jumping right to the recommended one to two hours or less per day, start by cutting their current screen time in half.

After school or work, spend time each day talking face to face with kids and give them your full attention.

2. Put your devices away

To be engaged putting your own devices away can help encourage them to set their own good habits. If there's one rule for them and another for you, you can be distracted. 

With work and a social life it can be hard to want to put your own devices away, but trying to stick to those screen free hours yourself shows your kid that if you can do it then so can they.

3. Create phone-free zones in your home

Family meals can be a great time to go device free. Everyone sitting together, enjoying each others company, is easy for you to follow and sets a nice standard where you all talk to each other at least once a day.

You could also go further and keep bedrooms as another device free zone. 

4. Go outside

The most obvious but sometimes the hardest to do. When the weather isn't super nice it can be even harder to get the kids off of their devices and out enjoying nature.

But putting down the phone and taking a walk or playing outdoors increases your endorphins and provides that feeling of happiness. Being outside will boost your mood and improve your physical health. 

Finding ways to decrease screentime for your kids is always a work in progress. What might work when they're 14 might not work when they're 15 turning 16. 

Being flexible to what they have going on in their lives, how much downtime they need and how they keep in contact with their friends will help you help them to develop good skills when it comes to using their devices.