Sharing screen time and digital technology with children and pre-teens

Why shared screen time can be good for you and your child

Sharing screen time and using digital technology with your child has many of the same benefits as doing any enjoyable activity together. It can:

let you connect with your child and build your relationship
help your child get the most out of the activity
give you both the opportunity to learn new things.

And, of course, shared screen time with your child can be fun!

It’s good for you and your child to balance screen time with other things that are important for your health and wellbeing, like getting enough physical activity and sleeping well. You can read more in our articles on screen time and digital technology use for children 2-5 years: tips for balance and screen time and digital technology use for children 6-11 years: tips for balance.

Using screen time to connect with children

Playing a game or watching a show together lets you turn screen time into family time. This means it can be a good balance for solo screen time.

When you watch TV or videos and play games or apps with your child, it shows you care about things that matter to your child, and you’re keen to learn about what they like to do online. It sends a simple message – you’re important to me.

Did you know that all our child-friendly movie reviews include ideas to discuss with children? Check out latest releases or movies on streaming services and start a conversation!

Helping your child get the most out of screen time

Your child can benefit from screen time when you watch, create, learn and play together.

This is because sharing screen time gives you the chance to help your child reflect on and make connections between what they’re watching and playing and their own life. For example, if you’re watching a TV show, movie or online video together, you could talk together about how the characters behave and treat each other:

Is that respectful behaviour? Would you like someone to treat you that way?
Is that a safe thing to do? What would you do if one of your friends did that?
What would happen if someone did that in real life?

Shared screen time can also help you start conversations about difficult topics like bullying, relationships, drug use and so on.

And when you play, create, learn or watch with your child, you help your child develop the habit of thinking about what’s on the screen. For example, you can sit with your child while your child plays a game or watches a show and ask questions like:

How do you play this game?
What happens when you move there?
Why do you think this game has in-app purchases?
What’s the point of this video?
How do you know if this information is right? How can you check?
Why is the person showing that product?

Shared screen time gives you the chance to be a role model and talk about responsible digital citizenship. You can also start conversations about internet safety for preschoolers, internet safety for children 6-8 years and internet safety for pre-teens.

Using screen time to learn new things

Children learn from everyday experiences like social time with family and friends, physical play, playing outside, reading and creative play.

So when you share screen time with your child, it can be an opportunity for interactive, meaningful experiences that your child can learn from. For example:

Talking about what’s happening in the show or game might help your child learn new words.
Playing a multiplayer game might help your child learn social skills like turn-taking and cooperation.
Coding together on a site like Scratch can help your child learn new technical skills.

And the learning probably goes both ways. For example, you and your child could make a video. You might experiment together to work out how to use the editing tools to add effects. Or your child could teach you how to use the editing program.

Ideas for shared screen time

Here are ideas for sharing screen time with your child:

Search online with your child for something that you’re both interested in – for example, a weekend activity or a new recipe to cook for dinner.
Play an ongoing game with your child, like online Scrabble or Wordle. This helps to keep you connected. It’s also fun and can be something special that you do together.
Download a music app and share and chat about the music you’re listening to with each other.
Get your child to teach you how to play an online game they enjoy. Or they could take you on a ‘tour’ of their apps and favourite websites.
Get active while using technology together. For example, go for a walk using a mapping app, or use a fitness tracker to share fitness challenges and goals.
Use a mindfulness app together. It can help both of you to reduce stress, boost wellbeing and build coping skills.
Use AI image or text generators to create pictures, stories or rhymes. You could talk about how this is different from creating something the traditional way.