How parents manage their children's screen-time

The objective of technological development is, in principle, to facilitate people's daily lives, their management and their habits. This transformation has caused certain attitudes to change, affecting society as a whole. Not only in adulthood or adolescence, but also in childhood. Because technology has conditioned the youngest children, who are increasingly attracted to technology and abuse screens more and more. And it is something that worries more and more parents.

A study conducted by Pew Research Center concluded that more than four in ten parents (42%) felt that parents should manage screen time better, while 58% said they do everything in their power to prevent their children from spending so much time in front of technology.

Managing time in front of screens, a priority

Knowing how to manage the minutes, the hours that their children are in front of the screen of a smartphone, a tablet or a television is a priority for parents. But they are subordinated by the reasons that lead them to allow the sometimes excessive use of technology.

Among those reasons that lead them to be more permissive with their children regarding the use of screens are that of communication and knowing where they are or what they are doing, that it is an element of entertainment and/or learning or that it is a useful tool to tranquilize minors.

"My son is in kindergarten, and he owns his phone already. It is for safety reasons only … so he takes it every day to school, brings it back, but he never uses it," remarked one parent consulted by Pew Research Center.

But just as they see pros, they also value cons. Parents understand that technology brings with it detriments that lead to their children not enjoying it. Among those evils mentioned by parents are inappropriate content for minors, the lack of security on the network, concerns about cognitive development of children and the excessive time spent using screens, according to the study.

A large majority of parents have rules about screen use, but can't always follow them

In order for parents to achieve their goal of better managing the hours their children spend in front of screens, many of them reported that they have established a series of rules that they and their children must follow. But they do not always achieve that goal.

A large majority of parents (86%) stated that they have a sort of system regarding when, where, how and how often they can use electronic devices. However, there are times when most of the time they cannot comply with their goal, be it for whatever reason, as 55% acknowledged. "I just feel like, when you restrict a kid from something, they want it more," said one parent.

On the other hand, 19% assured that these rules are carried out to the letter. "We cut off all screens an hour before bedtime … No screens on schooldays," stated another of those consulted by Pew Research Center.

Help is demanded from tech and lawmakers

Aside from the debate on personal standards, a large proportion of parents also believed that it is necessary for technology companies to be the ones to regulate - mainly, the content that is viewed - so that minors are not so attracted to screens. This was stated by 67% of parents.

But there are also those who pointed against the political sphere. Because 55% of parents demand that legislators take action and establish a series of criteria to help better manage the time children spend in front of screens.