Cutting kids’ screen time is nothing new. Since research has shown time and time again that digital overload can impair a child’s social, emotional and intellectual growth, most of us know the importance of placing media usage limits for our children. Yet, many of us don’t limit our own screen time even though research also finds that kids learn screen-time habits from their parents and caregivers. 

As parents, we too are becoming increasingly  ‘plugged in’. You forget a dua and the first thing you might do is google it up . If you are stumped on what to cook for dinner, you can browse through millions of recipes online. Your child has a wheezing cough, but you want a natural remedy, so you visit your favorite online holistic site. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or doing research, you always tend to end up online. While there is great value in technology and the internet, it is easy to go overboard and it is no wonder that addiction to technology is becoming a real problem in our society. Detox centers just for internet addicts are popping up all over the country and are becoming increasingly popular.

Being a blogger, I have to admit that between my phone and laptop, I end up racking up a lot of “screen time” each day. Recently, I have come to terms with the fact that despite having to blog, I use technology way more than I have to.  From checking emails, updating Facebook and Instagram posts, pinning, tweeting and snapping, I find my fingers scrolling faster than the speed of light (or at least that is what it seems like).  It’s not something to brag about, and definitely not a habit I want my kids to pick up. While we may rely more on technology these days, it is important to place some guidelines for ourselves, so we don’t go excessively beyond what is necessary.

How to limit your own screen time:

1.  Keep track of your usage: How many hours a day are you online? Record your current time and set a goal to reduce it by a certain percentage (50% maybe). You might notice that when you need to use the internet for work, or school, there are times you might get distracted and surf the web or go on social media. If you commonly find yourself in this situation, get extensions to your browser that can help you reduce this. You may especially want to monitor your social media usage, as this is where most people find themselves wasting most of their time.

  2.  Go Offline: Since all devices can be switched off, set times when there is no technology usage allowed. For example, you can have a house rule that prohibits anyone using the internet for the first hour they get home, or during dinner time.

  3.  Do it for the children: Make a habit of putting your phone down or shutting your laptop off, when your kids are near. The last thing we want to do is have our children pick up our bad habits or worse yet, feel less important. Check emails, social media, etc. before the kids wake up, or while they are at school.

  4.  Non-screen activities: Connect through books.  Many of us use the internet to learn something new, but we forget that we can also access some, if not most of this information through books. Since we want our kids to read more, we need to set this example by actually reading more ourselves.

  5.  Stay Active: Schedule more activities so you will have less “bored time” in which you might feel tempted to use the internet.  For example, you can have a board game night, reading hour, quran reading time, park days, etc. You can also find a new hobby like knitting, sewing, crafting all of which will keep you preoccupied.

Islam encourages us to do everything in moderation. Although it is not always easy to do, we need to strive to find the right balance in all areas of our lives, including our digital ones. 

Do you feel like you need time away from the screen, or have you found the right balance? Comment below with your tips inshaa Allah.