Parenting in a digital age: Screens, social media and kids

What does parenting really mean? According to Cambridge dictionary, (n.d.) “Parenting is the raising of children and all the responsibilities and activities that are involved in it”.

But what does it truly mean to raise children in a digital age? For example, parenting today can involve reviewing your child’s online schoolwork together on Google Classroom or Seesaw, discussing trustworthy websites such as National Geographic Kids, helping choose age-appropriate apps like Duolingo Kids or Khan Academy Kids, or explaining why family meals are screen-free while showing your own balanced technology use.

You might say, “Let’s look for some fun learning games together,” or, “Why do you think this website is safe to use?” These daily choices help children build thinking skills, take on responsibility, and develop healthy technology habits.
Before we go further, let’s clarify the digital age: a time when computers and technology provide access to vast amounts of information and shape how we live.

Parenting in the digital age, therefore, involves making children better users of the computer resources available today. With this definition in mind, it is necessary to consider effective ways to help children use current technology responsibly.

Before handing a screen to your child, consider these guiding questions to help ensure healthy technology use, ask:
 What purpose does this serve? How will it support my child’s development?
 Is there another non-screen activity that can fulfill this purpose?

Choosing alternatives can help set healthy boundaries. Examples of non-screen activities include puzzles, Legos, books, playing tag, bike riding, or even taking a walk together.

For children under 2, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time except interactive video calls. You might wonder why. At that age, children grow very quickly and absorb a lot of information. Have you thought about how much growth happens in a child’s first year? These are all steps toward what the child can become. It would be harmful to have the child watch screens when they could be exploring their surroundings.

For older children, ensure screen use does not interfere with sleep, schoolwork, or daily life. Decide how to introduce screens by answering the first question above.

Remember: screen time includes watching cartoons, playing video games, using game apps, social media, and doing online research for school. Every child needs daily movement to help their growth, but screens take that time away, even adults too.
To help enforce these limits, set clear routines around when and where screen time is allowed.
Use tools like kitchen timers or phone alarms so children know when their time is up.

Family agreements or written media plans help remind everyone of the rules and encourage consistency. Some parents find it helpful to use parental control settings or apps to automatically limit access. Regularly reviewing the plan together as a family can support healthy habits and adjust as children grow.

Screens and social media are parenting tools, but they require boundaries. To improve family relationships, designate screen-free times or areas, like during meals or in bedrooms. Because we cannot leave media use to chance, even in busy households, it’s important to set a clear plan for how devices will be used at home. Define a shared purpose for screens in your home. Discuss why and when screens are used, and establish a written media plan. Writing down your family media plan and keeping it visible at home can help everyone remember the rules and stay consistent. Use resources like the American Academy of Pediatrics media plan template to guide your family’s approach, starting early for best results.

A simple family media plan could include:
– Setting limits for daily screen time, such as allowing 1 hour of entertainment screen time on
weekdays and 2 hours on weekends.
– Choosing areas that are screen-free, like bedrooms and the dinner table.
– Deciding together what types of apps and websites are okay to use.
– Agreeing on screen-off times, such as during meals, family activities, and after a certain hour in
the evening.
– Scheduling regular check-ins to talk about media use as a family.

Returning to foundational principles is important; as the Bible notes, “If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” In this digital age, as artificial intelligence becomes more  parenting practices with the end goal in mind.

Research is still looking at how early screen time affects emotions, listening, thinking skills, and focus. Overall, the downsides often outweigh the benefits. For parents of young children, it is better to be actively involved than to let them have long unsupervised screen time. For older children, hold a family meeting to ensure everyone knows the plan. Social media is not as safe as many think. To help keep older children safe online, talk regularly about what apps and platforms they use, discuss privacy settings, and remind them not to share personal information.
Encourage children to tell you or another trusted adult if they see something online that makes them uncomfortable. You can also check friend lists together, review content that gets posted, and explain the risks of sharing photos or chatting with strangers. These steps help create an open dialogue and empower children to make better choices as they navigate social media.

As Coach Wendy says, “God forbid is not a parenting plan.”

We cannot always be there during our children’s technology use, but our central role is to prepare them to make wise choices. Ultimately, children model what they see.