Screen time and digital technology use for preschoolers: part of a healthy lifestyle

Screen time and digital technology use can be part of a healthy lifestyle when they’re balanced with other activities that are good for your child’s development. These activities include physical play, outdoor play, creative play, reading, and socialising with family and friends. Getting the right balance also includes making sure screen time doesn’t interfere with sleep.

Our tips can help you encourage your child to use digital technology in balanced and healthy ways.

Your choices about screen time and digital technology use influence the way your child uses screens. By using digital technology in healthy, balanced ways yourself, you can be a role model for healthy screen habits.

1. Make rules about screen time and digital technology use

You can help your child balance screen time and digital technology use with other activities. One of the best ways to do this is by working together on family rules or a family media plan. Your rules and plan will work best if they apply to everyone in the family, including you.

You could consider family rules for things like the following:

• Where your child can use digital technology – for example, this might be only in family rooms and not in bedrooms or the car.
• When your child can use digital technology – for example, mealtimes are free of TV, computers and phones, or no screen use in the hour before bedtime.
• How your child can use digital technology – for example, this might be to play a dance competition game or a puzzle app, but not to watch online videos.
• How your child can stay safe online – for example, this might be letting you know if they come across something that makes them feel uncomfortable or scared.

It’s OK if your rules include time limits to help your child balance screen time with other things like physical activity. For example, it might help to know that Australian physical activity guidelines say preschoolers should be active for at least 3 hours a day.

Avoid having the TV or screens on in the background. They can distract your child from playing, looking at books, interacting with others and so on.

2. Aim for short screen time sessions

It’s good for your child to have short screen time sessions and take regular breaks, especially if they’re sitting or lying down while watching or playing. Getting up and moving around is important for your child’s energy levels, development, sleep, and overall health and wellbeing.

Options to help with this include:

• using a timer to set breaks
• doing something active when the timer ends, like playing outside
• using natural breaks – for example, seeing who can do the most star jumps during an ad break.

3. Get your child moving, especially outside

It’s a good idea to encourage your child to play outside several times a day.

At this age, outdoor play can include:

• playing games of chasey, hide-and-seek or kick-to-kick
• crawling through tunnels or climbing over fallen trees
• playing with a ball
• building a castle out of boxes, clothes baskets, outdoor play equipment or furniture.

Physical activity for young children and active play for preschoolers can happen indoors too. It can be simple things like dancing, shaking their body, catching and throwing soft balls, or rolling along the floor or ground.

4. Imagine and create

Creative activities like telling stories, dressing up or drawing are good for your child’s development. Activities like these help your child learn how to experiment, communicate, think and solve problems.

Reading and storytelling with your preschooler promotes brain development and imagination, teaches your child about language and emotions, and strengthens your relationship with your child.

5. Encourage play and friendship with others

When children play face to face with others, they develop important life and social skills. These include getting along with other people, making and maintaining friendships, sharing and taking turns, being independent, and learning how to sort out conflicts and problems.

You can encourage preschooler friendships by arranging playdates with other children. Playgroups can also give your child the opportunity to learn how to play with other children.

6. Avoid screen time and digital technology use before bed

Preschoolers need plenty of sleep – 10-13 hours a night.

Screen time and digital technology use before bed can affect how quickly your child falls asleep and how well they sleep. If your child avoids phones, tablets, computer screens or TV in the hour before bed, your child is likely to get to sleep more quickly and sleep better.

7. Keep digital technology out of bedrooms at night

If you keep mobile phones and other devices out of your child’s bedroom at night, your child won’t be able to play games after lights out. This can also stop your child being disturbed in the night by messages and notifications.

When you help your child choose good apps, games, TV, movies and online videos as well as balancing screen time with other activities, your child will learn to make good choices about using free time when they’re older.