Social media, various apps, games and shows hold children’s and teen’s attention captive at the cost of social interaction and movement.
Too much screen-time can lead to anxiety and stress. The good news is that with a little bit of movement, time with friends or time spent chatting with their parents, the worries and stresses from doom scrolling and screen-time can melt away.
Encourage children and teens to swap out time they spend on screens with time for other activities like reading, arts and crafts, biking or playing in a nearby park.
Check out these resources for more healthy activity ideas to help kids and teens put the screens away.
Screen-free resources
Encourage your kids to spend time with their friends, get involved in extracurricular activities, or spend time with you! Here are some resources to help you get started:
Healthy activity ideas from Fraser Health
Try out offline activities like exploring local parks and trails, cooking or baking together, or learning a new craft or instrument together.
Download PDFHealthy activity ideas from Vancouver Coastal Health
Help kids and teens build healthy tech habits by talking about your own screen use regularly and spending time together.
Download PDFFamily Media Plan
Consider creating a family media plan, which can help everyone in the family track their digital habits, create goals together, and keep each other accountable.
Download PDFHealthy screen habits from Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
This resource from Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre encourages focusing on building healthy habits and modelling healthy tech use for children and teens.
Download PDF
