Limit usage time: By following official recommendations, parents can maintain a balanced daily screen time. For harmonious development, young children need to interact, communicate, share emotions, move abundantly, play and engage in creative games. It is thus essential to make sure that children have plenty of time to do those things and that screentime does not displace any of these activities (for example, when screentime is limited to 1h/day for children older than 2).
Choose quality content: Educational and interactive programs such as Sesame Street, Blueโs Clues, or Daniel Tigerโs Neighborhood provide valuable learning opportunities. Parents can rely on tools such as www.commonsense.org or www.educationalappstore.com to choose high quality screen content.
Use screens to connect with your child: Participating in screen use allows parents to guide and discuss content with younger children. When co-viewing with your child, talk about what you both think or like. After screen use, ask your child to tell you what happened or what s/he learned.
Be a role model: Young children imitate their parents. A moderate and thoughtful use of screens by adults encourages better habits in children.
For more guidelines and recommendations for early childhood screen use, check www.youthandmedia.ch