Screen Time and Emotional Wellbeing
A lesson helping KS2 children understand how screen time affects their feelings, sleep, and energy, and develop strategies for a healthy balance.
Overview
This lesson helps upper KS2 children explore the relationship between screen time and how they feel. Without demonising technology, it encourages children to notice the impact of screens on their mood, sleep, and energy, and to develop their own strategies for maintaining a healthy balance. The emphasis is on self-awareness and positive choices rather than rigid rules.
Learning Objectives
- •Recognise how different types of screen time affect their mood and energy
- •Understand why screens before bed can affect sleep quality
- •Develop personal strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between screen time and other activities
Activities
Screen time feelings check
10 minutesChildren complete a simple worksheet listing different screen activities (watching videos, playing games, messaging friends, creating content). For each, they colour a face to show how that activity usually makes them feel: energised, calm, bored, anxious, or happy. Discuss patterns as a class — do some activities leave us feeling better than others?
The sleep experiment
10 minutesExplain how blue light from screens affects the brain's sleep signals. Show a simple diagram of how melatonin works. Children calculate how long before bed they usually stop using screens and discuss whether they could set a screen-free wind-down time. Share practical alternatives for the last hour before bed: reading, drawing, or listening to music.
My balance plan
15 minutesEach child creates a 'My Balance Plan' — a visual timetable for one day that includes screen time, outdoor play, creative activities, family time, and sleep. The goal is not to eliminate screens but to show that a balanced day includes a variety of activities. Children take the plan home to discuss with their families.
Discussion Points
- •Do you ever feel grumpy or tired after spending a long time on a screen? Why do you think that is?
- •What are your favourite things to do that do not involve a screen?
- •Why do you think it is harder to stop using a screen than to stop doing other activities?
Key Takeaways
- •Different screen activities affect your mood in different ways — pay attention to how they make you feel
- •A balanced day includes screen time, physical activity, creative time, and rest — you get to decide what that balance looks like
This content is designed to support professionals in their safeguarding role. It does not replace your organisation's safeguarding policies or training requirements.
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Last reviewed: 2026-03-30