Strategies for balanced screen time in the family

Introduction

Families today face the challenge of managing the time their members spend in front of screens. Electronic devices have become an essential part of our daily lives, for work, entertainment and education.

Parents express growing concern about the hours their children spend on electronic devices, especially when this reduces the time spent on sports and face-to-face socializing (Castañeda Cantillo et al., 2021). This concern has led many families to seek effective strategies for setting limits and creating a healthy balance in the use of technology.

The Internet, being a window to the world, presents both opportunities and potential risks. Therefore, it is essential that parents supervise and control their children’s access to websites and applications (Zabay & Casado, 2023). Modern parental control tools offer a variety of options for setting time limits, filtering inappropriate content, and monitoring online activity.

The reconciliation of family, personal and professional life requires the establishment of clear guidelines on the use of electronic devices (Gradaílle pernas et al., 2018). This implies creating family agreements that respect the needs of all members, while maintaining a healthy and balanced environment at home.

Parental educational styles are fundamental in this process, since strategies based on dialogue, the establishment of consensual norms and affection provide better results in the integral development of children (Murillo-Casas et al., 2015). This approach allows for the creation of a positive frame of reference for the responsible use of technology.