Balancing Screen Time

It is important to maintain eye health and avoid eye strain.

  • Use soft white lighting.

  • Adjust the brightness of the screen to be similar to the light in the room​.

  • Black text on white is the easiest on the eye for most people​.

  • Every 20 minutes, take a break from the screen and blink 10 times. Then follow the 20-20-20 rule: look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.

  • Place the screen 20-24 inches away and slightly below eye level.

Not all screen time is equal. What your child is doing online is as important as how much screen time they have.

Encourage the following activities:​

  • Learning​.

  • Anything creative​.

  • Connecting in positive ways with others.

How to support your child to maintain healthy screen and online habits.

  • Set boundaries and talk to your child about why you have set these​.

  • Try some family screen time​.

  • Set parental controls on the device so your child won’t come across anything that isn’t age appropriate​.

  • Look out for negative impacts of online activity. (see the online safety resources for more information on this).

It is important that young people continue to do other activities away from screens that will keep them healthy, happy and developing well.​

Children and young people need to:​

  • Engage in daily physical exercise​.

  • Engage with others in person, especially with friends and family.