10 Tips and Resources to Reduce Screen Time During Holiday Season (Thanksgiving and Christmas)

The fate of the Christmas Holidays is still in our hands – and we’ve heard Santa wants them to be as screen-free as possible. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas is the time to gather with family and friends and remember all the great things that happened during the year. Although it may not seem the best time to start bringing in new rules and limitations, the many distractions in the form of visitors, events and activities make it easy to slowly and subtly implement screen restrictions without causing too much bother. 

Remember what the holidays are really about- spending quality time with family, friends and loved ones. It's about giving love and joy to others. Watch your expectations; make sure they are realistic. We try for perfection during the holidays and we tend to forget what the holidays are really about. Remind yourself that the holidays are about being close to your loved ones while everything else, including your digital devices, comes second.



Here are 10 Tips and Resources o Reduce Screen Time During Holiday Season (Thanksgiving and Christmas)

1) Tips to Maintaining Healthy Screen Time Use Over the Holidays (The Tech Mum)

School holidays are here and you suddenly have a flashback. Last time the kids were on holidays, screen time use got a little out of hand.  It didn’t start off like that but there was a slow decline that led to all eyes glued to screens by the time school was ready to go back.  

• Create a Holiday Schedule.  It takes a little bit of time but the results are worth it!  By sitting down and breaking up your day, you can easily fill in activities to do around your home and decrease the amount of time the kids turn to their devices. 
• Set an ‘earn’ system type for your children.  
• Make an agreement for what must be done/completed before the child is allowed to use a device.  
• Use a timer! It’s simple and effective.  Decide on the length of time your child can use their device for and let them know you have set a timer.  

Continue reading more tips here

2) Family Agreement Sheet to Balance screen time over the holidays (ChildNet International).

A family agreement is a great way to start a conversation with your whole family about how you all use the internet, and to start discussions together around how to behave in a positive way when online, whether this is at home, at school or at a friend's.  Download a Family Agreement for Screen Time here. 

3) Digital Wellness Experts shared their tips on smartphone addiction and screen time management (Report). 

A carefully selected, diverse and enriching group of people from tech engineers, mindful teachers, entrepreneurs, to therapists, artists, writers and retreat owners, share some key tips, what they are doing for the greater good and what is their vision of the industry in the next five years. Along with their recommendations, this report features eye-popping pieces of research and stats to raise the awareness of a topic that is becoming the third biggest epidemic after sugar and cigarettes in the last fifty years.

Download report here 

4- Screen Time CheckList for Holidays (KidsOnTheCoast)

Are you looking to set some screen time rules in your household? Finding screen battles are sucking up your energy and time? Never fear, our screen time checklist printable is here! This handy screen time printable will help you enforce some screen time rules for before and after school and on weekends and holidays. 

Download Screen Time CheckList Sheet

5) How to go Tech-free on holidays (WGSN)

As automated services become the norm, luxury consumers are opting out of technology and prioritizing human contact. Here is a helpful report on how turning away from devices in favor of human contact. 

6) Top Tips for limiting your kids’ screen time this festive season (ScreenTime)

Fancy giving it a go?Here are 5 easy ways you can reduce screen time this Christmas, festive season, and beyond!

See more tips here

7) A Parent's Guide to Fornite (ScreenTimeLabs)

Fortnite is one of the most popular games among middle-schoolers and tweens. Ranker lists it as the third most popular video game—behind Minecraft (#1) and Grand Theft Auto V (#2).

Kids’ online safety advocate site, Common Sense Media, notes a few problems with the game, however. While the game helps kids learn how to work as a team, the violence of Fortnite might be a problem.

Here is a relevant guide to Fornite. 

8) Christmas Holidays & Rise in Screen Time – Infographic

The numbers are clear:

• Average child watch 60 movies in a holiday festivals
• Average child spend 150 hours on video games
• Average child spend 6.5 hours on screen at Christmas & New Year

Here is a resourceful infographic with relevant information and tips. 

9) Tips to a Stress Free Holiday Season (Wellness Magazine)

It's the beginning of the holiday season and with the holidays comes to stress. Each year we feel a mix of joy and anxiety when we approach the days before holidays. The holidays can bring stress starting in November and go straight through until the new year. We experience a combination of stressors related to financial costs of the holidays, family coming to stay and the conflicts it may bring, and the stress of trying to have the perfect meal and holiday all together. 

Learn more here 

10) Digital Wellness and Screen Time Management Gift Guide 2019. 

People of all ages, including children, often include tech devices on holiday wish lists. What about if offer them a mindful list of Tech-free gifts that they can pick from?  Use the gift as an opportunity to talk about a family technology plan, your expectations around tech use, and using tech safely. It’s also a great time to talk about some larger, overarching tech values—such as prioritizing “real-world” connections over technology. 
We know that making that list is tough so we created this Digital Wellness and Screen Time Management Gift Guide 2019 for you.