Digital Detox for Kids

How to encourage your child to take a break from their screen

For adults, a digital detox is a great way to reset from the busy work week and the constant stream of notifications. However, digital detoxes aren’t just for adults, it is important that once you have introduced devices to your children, you encourage them to take breaks as well.

A digital detox is a short break from using devices like smartphones or tablets. For children, it isn’t about completely cutting out this technology but allowing them to focus on off-screen activities. The goal is to create balance and remind children that there is plenty to do offline.

Why kids need a digital detox

In today’s day and age, screens will almost always have a presence in a child’s life, especially if that child is a little older and has devices like a tablet or a smartphone. Too much screen time can take a toll on the health of children, both physically and mentally. As part of The Better Phone Project - an initiative created by HMD to design better phones for children – we spoke to Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, who noted that attention spans have been getting dramatically shorter since the introduction of smartphones:

“I didn't think that people's attention spans were so short. In 2012, we found it went down to 75 seconds on average. And in later years, starting from around 2016, we found that attention spans averaged 47 seconds. And this was also replicated by others as well…The median (aka midpoint) of our observations shows attention spans to be 40 seconds. That means half of all the observations show people who spend 40 seconds or less on any particular screen before switching to something else. That's very short.” - Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine

A digital detox can give children the chance to reset, recharge, and rediscover offline activities. It also allows them to concentrate on activities that will help build their attention span. It’s also an opportunity to strengthen real life connections and encourage more balance between the digital and real world.

Setting healthy boundaries

Boundaries can help give children structure and make it easier to manage screen time. It is important that these boundaries are a collaborative effort between you and your child to ensure they are more receptive to the ideas. A few simple strategies can make a big difference:

• Setting screen-free times for a detox: setting rules around certain times of the day, like no devices before school or no screens before bed.
• Tech-free zones: Keep bedrooms, meal areas and family spaces free from devices. This encourages conversation and relaxation.
• Lead by example: If you’re scrolling during dinner or watching TV late into the night, kids will notice. Showing balance will make it easier for them to replicate.

Encouraging mindful tech usage

A digital detox doesn’t mean to imply that technology is bad all the time. It is intended to teach children how to use it in intentional ways, like to support their learning. There are many ways for parents to help encourage more mindful technology use for children including:

• Balance screen time and activity: For every hour online, encourage an hour of play, reading or some kind of physical movement.
• Choose mindful content: Help your child find educational apps, creative games, or positive shows that encourage learning rather than passive scrolling.
• Teach detox breaks: Whether it’s no tech for a day or no tech for 20 minutes, teaching a screen detox is an important habit to instill. Sometimes trying the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20-feet away) can be helpful.

Fun alternatives to screen time

When conducting a digital detox for your kids, it is important to fill their time with other activities. There are plenty of non-screen-related activities that will encourage children to not miss their devices. These activities could include:

• Outdoor play: Plan a family day in the park, go for a walk or kick a ball around in the backyard.
• Creative activities: encourage activities that stimulate creative brain function like drawing, painting, playing blocks or other toys.
• Reading: creating a reading time for your child to sit comfortably with a new book or their favourite book.
• Learn new skills: Childhood is the best time to learn a new skill, teaching your child to cook, trying out a new sport, or even learning an instrument are all great screen-free activities.

Organizing a detox day

As an extra to the everyday detox times, going device-free for a whole day (or even weekend) could be a beneficial activity for your child or the whole family. With the right preparation, the day or weekend can go smoothly:

• Talk about it in advance: Let your child know when the detox will be happening and explain a little of the reasoning behind it to avoid some resistance on the day.
• Make the detox exciting: Calling it a “family challenge” or “offline challenge” to bring some excitement to something the child might be nervous about.
• Plan activities: Keep the day full of fun and excitement so that your children don’t feel like they’re struggling to fill time or that they need their device.

Help enforce the detox with HMD Fuse

Setting boundaries is one thing, but sticking to them can often be the hardest part. This is where the HMD Fuse becomes a game-changer for families. Designed to give parents peace of mind, it helps you set boundaries surrounding screen-time.

With HMD Fuse, you can set the screen-time on your child’s device. This makes it simple to enforce screen-free moments like mealtimes, homework, and bedtime without arguments. Parents are also able to schedule School and Bedtime Modes so that routines like phone-free time before school or screen-free evenings can become a habit and recurring moment. With the HMD Fuse, you can make digital detoxing a normal part of your routine, creating digital balance for your children at a young age.

You can read more about the HMD Fuse and its other amazing features here.