Managing Screen Time for Children and Young People Over the Summer Holidays
06/30/2025
The summer holidays are approaching and this often means more screen time for children and young people. Digital devices can be fun and educational, but it's important to balance their use to promote healthy development and wellbeing.
The Appeal of Digital Devices
Screens are everywhere in today's digital age. They give us instant access to information, help us stay in touch with friends, and offer great entertainment.
Children and young people have been born into a digital generation, knowing how to use devices from a very young age, as technology is integrated into everyday life more than ever before.
Technology provides a range of different services to children and young people, including:
- Social interaction and building friendships.
- Entertainment and fun.
- Creative expression.
- Skill development.
- Education and learning opportunities.
- Discovery of new hobbies and topics.
It is important to remember that managing screen time does not seek to deprive children and young people of these activities, but instead, support them to explore the online world in a balanced way that nurtures their mental and physical health.
The Risks of Too Much Screen Time
However, screens serving many purposes can easily lead to long hours in front of them, which can create pathways to harm such as:
- Inactivity, which deprives children the benefits that exercise can provide, including increased endorphins and improved physical and mental wellbeing.
- Potential exposure to harmful content which can have a negative impact on mental wellbeing.
- Lack of social skills development, which can impact their relationships and future social interactions.
What Should We Be Considering When It Comes To Screen Time?
While it may be tempting to completely ban screen time, this could be ineffective and potentially harmful in certain situations. There are several factors to consider:
- Screen time activities such as gaming, can serve as hobbies and sources of enjoyment.
- Being aware of young people’s positive digital experiences is important. Elements that might seem insignificant to adults, like maintaining 'streaks' or engaging with online communities, can play a genuine role in a young person's social life, interests, or sense of belonging. Having an understanding of this can lead to more productive screen time conversations.
- Professionals, parents and carers will have their own and often differing views on screen time habits and what is appropriate for the child in their care.
- Every child has different needs, and it’s important to keep this in mind when deciding what amount of screen time is appropriate.
- Persuasive design is a concept built into most platforms which seeks to lengthen the time spent on the platform. This can remove ‘stopping cues’ from children and young people, which can make it harder for them to step back from devices.
Top Tips for Managing Screen Time
To strike a healthy balance between the online and offline world, professionals, parents and carers should remember that context is key – every child has different needs. This requires a proactive approach, by fostering open conversations about screen time, effectively utilising parental controls, and setting clear, healthy boundaries together. This should be an ongoing involvement with active monitoring of media behaviour, while also modelling healthy screen time habits.
Our partners at INEQE Safeguarding Group, an independent safeguarding organisation, have provided some tips to help you begin the journey to less screen time with the children and young people in your care. Click here to find out more.
Staying updated with the latest news, trends, and risks online can be hard. Finding credible and relevant resources can be even more challenging.
Safer Schools, a digital safeguarding ecosystem designed to educate, empower and help protect your school from safeguarding risk, is available at no extra cost to school and local authority customers that have their insurance programme with Zurich Municipal. To access and learn more visit oursaferschools.co.uk.
