A screen-free summer for kids: A guide for parents

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Pediatrician Dr. Tiffany Munzer has some encouraging words for parents hoping to find a healthy balance with summer screen time for their children and teens.

“There are things they can’t do, even though the deck feels stacked against them,” Munzer said.

Munzer, who is also a digital media researcher at the University of Michigan, has no illusions about the challenges parents face during the summer. To accomplish, screen-free activities are often expensive and require the transportation of children during the work day.

Allowing children, even teenagers, to stay at home for long hours presents its own problems. Once a digital device is in their hands, it can be difficult – and feel impossible – to get a child to put it down.

But Munzer, along with childhood independence advocate Lenore Skenazy, shared some helpful tips with Mashable for summer device use that can free kids from screens and get them outside to play with friends and peers.

Make a schedule for screen time

Going into the summer without a screen time plan, yet still expecting a balance, is unlikely to work.

Instead, Munzer recommends that parents create a predictable but flexible schedule. Ideally, it shows when parents need support the most, such as during a meeting or the unsupervised gap between when they leave and when the carer arrives.

Young children who cannot read can especially benefit from a visual system that they can interpret with symbols or pictures, so they know how the day is organized.

Regardless of the child’s age, the schedule should show the whole day, not just block when they will reach for the tablet or TV.

Start with reasonable screen time expectations

Munzer doesn’t expect any parent to ditch screen time entirely. A parent’s goal, instead, should be to prioritize high-quality screen time experiences and replace personal activities with device use as much as possible.

In a recent policy paper Munzer co-authored for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Munzer and colleagues recommended less than an hour of digital media per day for toddlers and one to two hours per day for preschoolers and teenagers.

Munzer notes that children may skip those guidelines during the summer or on the weekend, when they have more time. After all, he told Mashable, digital media is “seamless and easy to access” compared to the often expensive childcare, summer camps, entertainment and play options for kids.

Set boundaries for digital media content

When parents need help deciding what to allow on a digital device, Munzer recommends relying on their own intuition. Often, parents want to watch or play media themselves (hello, adult Bluey followers).

In general, Munzer says the litmus test for parents should be whether the content is beneficial to their child’s well-being. Parents should look for themes that help children make sense of the world and encourage positive behaviors such as kindness and consideration.

Removing poor or cannibalistic design is also important. This includes AI slop and scary or violent content.

Less obvious are design choices that increase marketing to children, heighten click-through emotions, and encourage endless scrolling or slow use.

Munzer points parents to the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence’s guidance on certain types of digital content with green, yellow, and red light ratings. He also recommends Common Sense Media’s reviews of popular shows, games, apps, podcasts, and other forms of entertainment.

Help your child cope with boredom

A thoughtful schedule of screen time is important, but children of all ages may need support to deal with boredom when they don’t have a digital device or entertainment. (Munzer says parents may have to learn to tolerate the stress that comes when their child isn’t happy outside of a screen.)

Parents should avoid responding when they are bored by returning the device, Munzer said. Instead, parents should rely on their plan as a guide. If there is an hour of downtime between screen time sessions, parents should stick to that as best they can.

Munzer cautions that toddlers and preschoolers may only be able to play independently for 15 minutes, at which point a parent may need to join them briefly. Young children need to know when these bursts of cooperative play can happen, and for how long.

Try a weekend test

Munzer says parents have a better chance of success when they test the schedule over the weekend. Trying to set new limits on screen time right before a big virtual meeting starts can end in frustration and tears (for everyone).

The low-level test runs help his kids with confidence and skill, Munzer said. It also gives parents an opportunity to see if their child is able to adapt to the expectations.

Swap screen time for other activities

A parent who has a strong sense of how they want their child to engage with devices this summer should still fill in a few hours of screen-free time throughout the day.

Munzer recommends looking for local or community activities, including library reading events, kids’ favorite clubs, and summer-specific programs. To find the right fit, he suggests depending on the child’s interests. If they enjoy Minecraft, for example, parents may want a LEGO or robotics club to join. Similarly, a child who likes to make videos might enjoy joining an art club.

Although these options are more feasible for parents of older children, who cannot travel on their own, parents of younger children can try to replicate this idea at home. A child who likes to build online but can’t be supervised in public might like the challenge of putting together their own creations with pieces of cardboard.

It talks about device resolution and screen time

In her pediatric clinic, Munzer often advises parents of children who have meltdowns when device or screen time is limited. This fact, or the dreaded fear, often makes it difficult for parents to set limits.

First, Munzer wants parents to understand that emotional reactions to boundaries are not their fault or their children’s.

“There are these behavioral patterns built into the design that make it difficult for any of us to change.”

“There are these built-in behaviors that make it difficult for any of us to change,” she said.

That’s why Munzer encourages parents to normalize those feelings for children by explaining how devices and platforms are designed to keep and hold our attention.

Emotion regulation techniques

To help children deal with this, Munzer recommends emotional management strategies that name the feeling and provide ways to calm the body, such as using Play-Doh, reading a book together, listening to music, or going for a walk.

Parents should avoid soothing a stressed child with the device itself, as it makes it difficult for him to learn self-control skills.

Find the basic features

Some children may struggle more than others due to developmental conditions such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Munzer says these kids may be focusing on the behavioral reinforcement that digital media can provide.

That doesn’t mean they should stay on the phone as a coping strategy. Instead, parents should try to identify the factors that cause screen-related depression and deal with them.

How to take your child out to play with other children

The dream of many parents is to let their children loose outside and let them play, explore, and socialize until the proverbial sun goes down.

Not only is this a free summer option, it also represents a childhood that many parents had but can’t replicate for their children, for various reasons.

Lenore Skenazy, president of the childhood freedom nonprofit Let Grow, says parents can really give their child this experience the right way.

“[W]Chicken kids are doing things in the real world, drawing them to real world interests and skill building, away from screens,” said Skenazy, who is also the author of the book. Free Grade Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Stop and Let Them Grow Up.

Get rid of anxiety

Many parents are caught up in their anxiety, Skenazy said. Unlike their parents, they worry about something bad happening to their child if they are not supervised.

However, Skenazy argues that keeping children inside is not safe for their mental and social health. And it does not encourage their long-term freedom.

In his experience, parents worry a little about what will happen if their child gets a chance to prove that he can. The more successful a child is in the world, alone, the more clearly a parent can see their child’s potential.

Connect with other parents

Another major obstacle for parents is the absence of children who are also allowed to do things unsupervised.

Without this, Skenazy says, parents are “soaked,” and it becomes very difficult to consistently offer activities without screen time: “I don’t think it’s reasonable to say that you’re going to take your child out and he’s going to have a good time without any other kids.”

That is why he recommends that there be communication with other parents who want their child to be independent.

“There’s rocket fuel in knowing you’re not just a taker – you’re a giver.”

He talked to parents who created informal playgroups or summer clubs. They may set physical boundaries for children to explore inside, but the expectation is that they will be alone for most of the day.

Some use cell phones or trackers while others do not. Skenazy recommends one last strategy for building more trust. Regardless, parents teach their children how to get help from an adult, if needed.

Give your child activities that build independence

In general, Skenazy recommends children do activities that build confidence, such as going to the store, helping a neighbor, building something they can use, or making breakfast for the family. He adds that such activities help children learn what they like to do without that be online.

Activities can also be especially helpful if a child doesn’t have a playmate or friend to spend time with over the summer, but their parent still wants to switch screen time to more fulfilling activities.

Let Grow offers a free checklist of ideas to try this summer. The most important part, Skenazy said, is to give children the opportunity to contribute, and to do so without constant supervision.

“There’s rocket fuel in knowing you’re not just a taker — you’re a giver,” she said.