Screens in a time of COVID

[mae0111]

What are your rules around screen time? How have they changed during stay at home orders?

My kids are definitely getting more screen time, outside of school zooms. They do their school work in the morning into early afternoon, and I try to make sure they’re out running around if the weather cooperates. But they’re using their iPads a lot more than they had.

DH wants to take them away for every infraction, but I disagree. It doesn’t work, and when they get taken away, the kids are all over me, whining and crying that they don’t have anything to do. Some days that’s ok, but other days, when I’m clinging to my last shred of sanity, it’s very much not ok. My therapist had told me not to take it away as a punishment - reserve the right to use it to give myself a break here and there.

So outside of school, has screen time increased??

[twinmomma]

Oh ya. Waaaay more screen time now.

I'm usually pretty strict about screen time during normal times. They can watch one episode of a show on school nights or they can choose to play on their tablets a bit. But never both on the same school night. Partially to crack down on screen time, partially because of the free time our schedule allows when we're all going to school/work like normal. Weekends they would get to watch a movie's worth of TV - so choose a movie or a few episodes of a show. They would get maybe an hour of tablet time as well on weekend days. (I also keep it very strict at my house in part because I know their dad lets them play video games for hours and hours on end)

I've loosened up quite a bit now and they get a lot more screen time than that, but I do still try to cut them off each day and force them to go outside or play with other toys. I made a rule on the weekends that they can't do screen time before lunch, just to make it easy to have a clean cut off so they don't ask every five minutes.

I don't use "all screen time" as a punishment, but I do threaten to take away the tablet or the Switch or YouTube videos specifically. It's more of a "You won't be allowed to play Minecraft today" punishment, not "No screen time at all" as the threat. I think that works better for them anyway. It's a more specific currency that they care about depending on the day.

[Deleted]

It has increased, but initially it was is random as to when they could have it and when we’d ask them to turn it off and it wasn’t working.

So now they do their school work on the screen obviously, but otherwise they are only allowed non-school screen time from
2:30-4. It’s much better now because they know they will get some and they also know what time it’s over at. They are much better at finding other things to do the rest of the day. I’d highly recommend a set time period.

Full disclosure my teen gets more screen time than just that, but not a whole lot more. The other 2 get just that.

[mommyatty]

Yep. Way more screen time than normal here. We normally allow very limited iPad time, but honestly our tv is on all the time. The kids will watch a few minutes, then run around, then come back for a minute or two, then decide they want to play with their superhero action figures, then jump on the teampoline, then remember the tv is on and watch for 3 minutes... So the tv doesn’t bother me. iPads, the Switch (just in the last week, we’ve had it over a year and they’ve played it less than half a dozen times), and their Kindles, they can fall into. DD only recently with Animal Crossing. But DS freaking loves video games.

We are all in survival mode (quite literally) so I think everyone is relying on whatever crutches they have. If screen time is yours, lean on it.

[mellym]

Yes, more screen time now especially if we're on calls. We try to limit what they're doing on the iPad because there is so much content on You Tube that it's hard to control. We let them have about an hour of free time on iPads and they either go on Kids Messenger, PBS Kids, Netflix show, or play Codeable. They get this time after they've done some of their school work. If they don't do the school work, they don't get the iPad or tv for fun. We also let them go on the iPads to do their homework assignments and read books on Epic - no real time limit here.

We do our best to make sure they go outside two times each day.

[rere]

I grounded DS in the beginning of all of this and took away his phone and Xbox. I gave it back earlier than I usually would. He was getting pretty down. In real life, if he was grounded, he would still see people at school and out somewhere. That cut off all of his communication, activities. Especially when the weather is still hit and miss.

[sdlaura]

We’re in total survival mode over here, so lots of screens. DS2 will be 3 and in a month and has just gotten more into TV, which I’m sure isn’t good for his development but has made life a little easier for us. He’s currently sitting in a stroller next to my elliptical in the garage watching curious George so I can exercise.

We used to use 1 of our TVs for less than an hour a day and now we use all 4 of our TVs nearly everyday. We have no childcare in the afternoons but DH and I still need to work, so during DS2’s afternoon nap, the older kids are mostly on screens.

[phdmomma]

Yes, they have screens for school, and video calls and whatnot. Then they also get a scheduled hour (sometimes 1.5 depending on what I'm working on), in the afternoon. They have gotten better about it. Now that they know it is scheduled. They also get a fair amount of "non-screen free choice time". Where they can do what they want, as long as its not on a screen.

[186momx]

More than she used to but she is also home more. Not going to the gym 9+ hours a week has given her way more home time.

I did make a bored jar a few weeks ago and that has helped a ton. It has everything from reading, chores, workouts, play activities and some math stuff in it. DD never says she is bored but zoned off when she is. It has really helped so might be worth the time for you to make.

[callmekd]

Omg yes. There’s no way to get DD1 to stay quiet while we work without a screen. She’s better when her siblings get home from daycare (Ie they play) but there is so much screen time otherwise.

[erbear]

Much more screen time here too. Some of it is to connect with friends (Messenger Kids, etc.), sometimes it's to play Minecraft with friends, sometimes just to chill. They get plenty of fresh air and exercise so I'm letting it be what it is

[erinshelley21]

Sooooooooo much screen time. Mostly in the form of TV. Their kindles were here and they had time limits on videos so I felt better knowing they were at least using their brains to play games. Kindles are back at MIL's so there's lots of TV happening.

[nellgirl]

Absolutely, and I hate it.
We usually do next to none (maaaaaaybe a half hour each weekend day, and a movie maybe twice a month?)
I have one kid (4 yrs old), and she’s at home with both my husband and I working from home. Usually, we can tag-team her, or we can turf her into the back yard (with me kind of watching her), but a few days a week, we both have mandatory meetings at the exact same time, so she gets over an hour each day that this happens.
Also, we’re so beat in the evenings that at least twice a week, we do a movie night to get a break.
I hate the behaviour that ensues when she gets screen time.

[shakinros]

Soooo much screen time. Mostly spent on Minecraft around here, which I’m telling myself requires brain engagement. Truly, so much. I enforce screen break for lunch and recess, and for the time between when I finish work & dinner but otherwise it’s screens screens screens. Screens for school! Screens for FB kids messenger with friends! Screens for Minecraft!

[campermom]

Significantly increased, but my 4 year old is getting mostly educational things on his iPad. I have downloaded every Grandma and Grandpa game, and he has ABC mouse. If he is watching tv during our learning or my working time, it is the Living Room Learninf channel on Roku which is mostly Leapfrog.

The big kids worst offender is youtubers playing Minecraft or tv shows. They don’t have access to any other video games or anything. No social media yet.

It is what it is.