Screen time: How Bad Can It Really Be For Our Children- and for Us?

Screen Time: How Bad Can It Really Be for Our Children—and for Us?

"Our little gamer girl"

We’ve all been there. The kids are screaming, the clock is ticking, you’re trying to do five things at once—and getting absolutely nowhere. So, in a moment of desperation, you reach for the magic weapon: your phone. A few taps later, Cocomelon is on (it was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when my girls were little), and like magic, the house goes quiet. Peace, at last.

But at what cost? 

It always makes me wonder: How bad can screen time really be?

As a parent, I totally get the need for a distraction tactic that is fool proof. For something that is going to give you even 5 minutes to finish up your task or calm your household and let you think. 

I also know the hypnotic calm of scrolling through a Facebook feed or falling into a reel rabbit hole for hours on end. I’ts a distraction from the outside world that soothes all. 

It's become something I do several times a day. It takes over. I scroll when I wake and I scroll before I sleep.  I've forgotten I was cooking once, only to snap out of it when the smell of burnt tea filled the kitchen. "Alright, more than once". I sit down to watch a new show or movie only to find, moments later I've picked up my phone and started scrolling. Missing the entire show or film.

I have managed to set boundaries with my doom scrolling. I don't have my phone out when im eating but I have been out on dates or to to a friend's house for dinner and my dining partner has sat there checking their phone. It's awkward and not very polite.

And if that’s the grip it has on adults (myself included), what’s it doing to our children?

Screen Time and Emotional Overload

Setting boundaries and making time without devices can often feel like you've launched a nuclear war in your own home. 

You turn off the Wi-Fi, set a screen time limit, or simply enforce a “no phones at dinner” rule—and suddenly, chaos. Your otherwise rational child is now screaming, shaking, or flat-out ignoring you. 

Maybe you try to take your phone back from your toddler because you’ve got a call and a meltdown erupts. Or it’s time for school but your child’s eyes stay locked on the screen, breakfast untouched and the time for your departure creeping closer and closer. You are fighting a battle that you know your loosing.

Even babies are reaching out their hands for devices when they spot one in their sights, and when they can’t have them, the emotional fallout can be intense.

"Swimming with sharks on big cousin Daniel’s VR"

Are Our Kids Becoming Addicted to Screens?

These reactions aren’t bad behavior—they’re signs of something deeper. So.ething in my mind that feels much sinister. 

Screen time has become so embedded in our lives that children are growing up with instant gratification, constant over-stimulation, and little tolerance for boredom or delayed rewards.

I’ve seen it firsthand, both in the early years field and in everyday life. Children today are struggling with social interaction, emotional regulation, and even basic problem-solving skills. Teenagers are facing mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, body image issues, and round the clock online bullying—all amplified by the curated and often toxic content they see online.

One of my biggest fears when my daughters were in secondary school was opening my phone and seeing a video of them being hurt or humiliated, just for the sake of likes and views. That fear is all too real for today’s parents.

"School ready" 

So, What Can We Do?

This isn’t about judgment—I’ve been there too. But as a generation, we are losing touch with our children. And as much as I admire the amazing things technology has brought into our lives, we have to find a way to protect what really matters.

According to the World Health Organization:

• Children under 2 should have no screen time.
• Children aged 2–4 should have a maximum of 1 hour per day.
• The NHS recommends no more than 2 hours daily for older children.
• Teenagers should have no more than 2 hours a day. This excludes any time used for the completion of homework and schoolwork. 
• Adults should enjoy no more than 4 hours recreational screen time per day.

Easier said than done, right?

Yes and no, I've complied 10 effective ways to help support healthy and safe screen time and device usage. 

Be a role model - if you wouldn't want your child using their phone at a specific time you should put yours down too.

Screen time together - enjoy an opportunity to engage with your child and sit with them for their screen time. Ask them questions and share interesting information about what they are enjoying.

Utilise timers, reminders and alarms - use these apps to give your child an auditory and visual prompt to know when times up. Just don't forget to set one in your device too because they are sneaky and will adjust their time limit. 

Have the challenging conversations - explain the dangers of being online, talk about what is appropriate and inappropriate conversation and about what information they can and should absolutely should not share with anyone online. 

Monitor their device usage - check their search history, app downloads, communication's and the recycle bins. I know it's an invasion of privacy and there are other ways to protect them but when you get a glimpse of something concerning you should investigate this further. 

Use parental controls - with app and website blocker's, content filters and contact restrictions we have a world of tools to use to protect our children online. 

Adhere to age restrictions - it sucks being the bad guy to your children but where there is an age restriction there's always a reason for it. This is one battle you need to fight. 

Educate - the internet offers so much more than doom scrolling and online gaming. Show your child all the amazing tools they can access on their device. 

Share your experience - we all have that one image we wish to scrap from existence but can't. Show your child, once it's online it's never going to be entirely removable. 

Check on your child's mental health - the bullying today is far more vicious and silent than we ever experienced so check in on your child's mental wellbeing and watch for changes in their behaviour. It could be a sign they are being tormented by the keyboard gangsters who lurk online. 

We only get this time once. Let’s not let it slip away behind a screen.

"Get outdoors"

Final Thoughts

Screen time isn’t evil but it is addictive even in the earliest stages of life. 

It’s a wondrous tool—one that can be helpful or harmful, depending on how we use it. With intention, boundaries, and a little creativity, we can help our kids (and ourselves) build healthier relationships with technology.

Let’s reconnect—with our kids, with nature, and with the real world right in front of us.