Many parents ask themselves this question at the beginning of the vacation weeks. The answer is not so easy to give. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Appropriate screen time depends on your child’s age, stage of development and needs – so it’s an individual decision. Talking to other parents can help, but no two children and families are the same and media rules can vary accordingly.
Set rules for screen and media time depending on what media your child uses and how well they can handle it.
Shared media use and conversations about the experiences will help you to assess this well. The form of use should also play a role: So how does your child spend their time? Are they finding out about a topic that is currently of particular interest to them? Are they playing games, watching series or endlessly scrolling through social media feeds? Are they alone?
Media offer us the opportunity to inform ourselves, to be inspired, to interact with others, to distract ourselves from our hectic everyday lives – but they can also stress us out or even burden us. Especially during the vacations, it can be good to take a break from the often packed and tightly structured daily routine of school, sports clubs or music lessons. Using media can help your child relax and stay in touch with friends. However, a balance is important, such as playing indoors and outdoors, sports, arts and crafts or spending time with friends and family.
Media rules are more likely to be accepted if they are made together with your child. Talk together about what media and content your child uses, when, how and why. Also think about your own media use, as parents act as role models. Establish common media rules for the whole family. Deviations during the vacations or at weekends are okay! Rules must fit your child’s development and needs as well as your everyday family life so that they can be adhered to.
You can find out more about media rules and screen time in these Elternguide.online articles and videos:
https://www.elternguide.online/regeln-fuer-die-mediennutzung-in-der-familie/
https://www.elternguide.online/medienregeln-fuer-schulkinder/
https://www.elternguide.online/der-staendige-streit-um-medienzeiten-ab-wann-ist-es-zu-viel/
https://www.elternguide.online/wann-ist-viel-zu-viel-zwischen-sucht-und-extremer-mediennutzung/
Can’t find an answer to your question? Ask your personal questions about your child’s media use directly and conveniently using the messenger service via WhatsApp or Threema. You can find more information here.
