Screen Time & Digital Wellbeing
Practical guidance on managing screen time for children and supporting healthy digital habits without constant conflict.
What is this?
Excessive screen time can affect children's sleep, physical health, mental wellbeing, and ability to concentrate. However, not all screen time is equal — creative, educational, and social uses differ significantly from passive scrolling. The goal is balance, not elimination.
How it works
Apps, games, and social media platforms are designed to maximise engagement through notifications, autoplay, infinite scrolling, and reward systems. Children, whose self-regulation skills are still developing, are particularly susceptible to these design patterns and may struggle to disengage without support.
Warning signs
In your child's behaviour
- • Difficulty stopping device use, leading to frequent arguments or meltdowns
- • Declining interest in offline activities they previously enjoyed
- • Tiredness, disrupted sleep, or difficulty concentrating at school
On their device
- • Screen time reports showing steadily increasing daily usage
- • Device being used late at night or first thing in the morning before other activities
Prevention steps
Create a family screen time plan
Agree together on screen-free times (mealtimes, the hour before bed) and screen-free zones (bedrooms at night). Having shared rules that apply to adults too makes them feel fairer.
Use built-in screen time tools
Enable Screen Time (Apple), Digital Wellbeing (Android), or Family Safety (Windows) to set daily limits and schedule downtime automatically.
Prioritise quality over quantity
Focus less on counting minutes and more on what your child is doing with their screen time. Creative, educational, and social uses are different from passive consumption.
What to do if it happens
- 1Avoid abruptly removing devices — instead, introduce gradual changes and give advance warnings before screen time ends.
- 2Offer appealing offline alternatives rather than simply saying 'put it down'.
- 3If screen use is significantly affecting sleep, schoolwork, or mood, consider speaking to your GP or school for additional support.
Related topics
If you need to report this
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-19