In today’s digital age, it can feel impossible to escape the pull of screens, and children are no exception.
While technology offers countless benefits, excessive screen time can have negative effects on a child’s development and wellbeing.
Baroness Beeban Kidron highlighted this issue at the House of Lords this week, telling peers: “A child, whether five or 15, is no match for the billions of dollars spent hijacking their attention, their self-esteem and their bodies, and we have to in these moments as a House choose David over Goliath.”
The Internet Watch Foundation also urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to strengthen incoming online safety rules this week after a record amount of child sexual abuse material was found on the internet in 2024.
From mood changes to social withdrawal, here are six warning signs that could indicate your child needs a break from their devices.
1. Lack of sleep
If your child has become noticeably more tired in the mornings, excessive screen time in the evenings could be interfering with their sleep.
“This could suggest they’re gaining access to their device outside allowable hours or that they need to turn their devices off earlier,” says Ghislaine Bombusa, content and digital director at online safety organisation Internet Matters. “This could impact their ability to perform in school and other offline activities if they’re not getting enough sleep.”
Bombusa recommends charging all phones in the house somewhere outside of the bedrooms at night, and to also have open conversations with children about excessive phone use.
“Think about why they might be staying on their device – are they having trouble switching off or feeling left out socially?” says Bombusa. “Talk it through with them and set clear consequences, like less time on their favourite game or app for a few days.”
2. Trouble focusing on other activities
“Passive scrolling or consuming short videos, rather than actively, online might make it difficult for children to focus on other activities for longer periods of time,” warns Bombusa.
Setting screen time limits on the apps they use could help.
“You can use apps like Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time to set time limits across different apps on the device,” says Bombusa. “Remember to provide kids with alternative activities for when this time is up.”
3. Withdrawal from hobbies and offline activities
“A lot of kids use the online space to connect with friends, but if they are invited to go out somewhere with friends and say they would prefer to stay home and browse, that could suggest an issue,” says Bombusa.
Having open conversations around why they’re avoiding these activities can help you better understand their reasoning behind this.
“If it’s just over-reliance on screens, that’s where screen time limits (both with parental controls and external reminders) can help,” says Bombusa. “It won’t be a quick fix; you’ll need to introduce a routine and then stick with it for a prolonged period of time before it becomes normal and easy. ”
4. Emotional outbursts when away from devices
“This could be indicative of dependence on the device but could also be due to other issues such as FOMO or bullying,” suggests Bombusa. “If a child is getting worked up because they can’t go on their device or you’re trying to cut back, avoid getting into an argument.”
It’s important to give them time to cool down before having a calm conversation about their reaction.
“Involve them in creating a plan around screen time use,” advises Bombusa. “If you’re putting rules in place for your child, you and everyone in your family should abide by them too.”
5. Spending long stretches of time sitting down with devices
“Sitting still for prolonged periods is not good for physical (or mental) health,” stresses Bombusa. “If your child is doing this, they may need support in finding other activities.
“Try and introduce them to games that get them moving around.”
6. Being passive rather than active on their devices
Passive screen time (such as scrolling, watching and consuming content) rather than active (for learning, connecting and creating) screen time can be an issue.
“If they’re only consuming content, their mind isn’t engaged in something that can support their wellbeing,” highlights Bombusa. “So, it’s important to balance small bursts of this passive screen time with more active screen time.”
Try downloading apps which will help them develop new skills and passions.
“There are apps and games that teach children how to code and problem solve and other apps can help them create their own videos or animations,” says Bombusa.
