7 “Workouts” to Go Lean on Screens
April 7, 2022
Get your family screen time fit this spring with ways to limit devices at home.
Winter can be a time to stay cozy at home and often means more screen time for the whole family. But as the weather warms up and everyone heads outside again, there’s no time like the present to reset your routine. Here are ways to cut back on excessive gaming, social media use, doomscrolling, and binge watching this spring.
1. Start with a warm up.
Small changes in your screen time habits can make a big impact over time. Look at how much time your family is spending on devices that’s dedicated to school and work, creative and social activities, and passive entertainment. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that kids ages 8 to 18 spend up to 114 full days a year watching a screen just for fun. Decide as a family what you could cut out in favor of more physical and outdoor time.
Start with this small change and then re-evaluate how you can make more changes as you experience the wellness benefits of leaner screen time, such as a mood boost and better social interactions.
2. Get in a daily habit.
Parental controls like Circle can help you automate new limits, such as no social media during meals times and the recommended one hour screen-free before bedtime. Kids thrive on routine so scheduling times when they can be on and off devices, or on specific apps and sites at certain times of the day, means you're all more likely to stick to the plan for the long term.
3. Lighten your load.
Do an inventory of the apps on your devices. Are you carrying extra “weight”? Spring clean your devices by removing apps you never use and organize the ones you do — you may find that some of the rarely used ones are costing you money each month.
4. Get outside.
It’s spring! Boost your physical and mental health with outdoor activities such as neighborhood strolls, park visits, nature hikes, and bike rides.
5. Find a “workout” buddy.
Challenge your partner and/or your kids to join you in one screen time don’t, such as delete Facebook for a week, don’t check email on weekends, or start reading real books before bedtime while leaving your phones in a designated station outside the bedroom.
6. Take a rest day.
No device Sundays, anyone? Take one day a week to log off for the day and explore something new with the family, such as gardening, kayaking, or a museum.
7. Flex your screen time muscles.
Plans are meant to be adjusted over time as your lifestyle changes. Check back in after a few months and make sure your screen time plan works for you and your family. You’ll find that as you start to slim down on screen time your overall well-being will start to bloom.
Slim down on screen time, with Filter, Time Limits, and more Circle features. Learn more.