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Managing screen time

11 Feb 2025Empowering People
4 minute read

It’s easy to spend a lot of time on smartphones and other devices without noticing, due to their many uses.

There are no concrete guidelines on the amount of time that should be spent online. Although some studies show that children who spend increased time on social media apps suffer from poorer mental health than their counterparts who do not use them, this may be correlation rather than causation. Experts also note possible links between screen use and problems such as sleep disruption, obesity and eye strain.

Meanwhile, active screen time, through creating art, music, writing, or programming, is increasingly being recognised as more beneficial than passive scrolling.

Each family will take a unique approach to managing screen time. Here are some tips to consider:

  • Set a maximum screen time: setting specific tech times, or broader tech periods – late afternoon, for instance – may work well, while adults can participate in this too.
  • Encourage screen breaks: practice the Pomodoro method to stick to 25-minute intervals, using your phone’s timer. When the timer buzzes, take a break from your screen.
  • Promote a balanced use of screen time: talk to your family about engaging in creative activities online, to minimise passive screen time.
  • Make a master list of offline activity ideas: this will provide an easy backup plan when boredom strikes, if kept in a communal area such as your kitchen.
  • Designate phone-free times and zones: establish a few parts of your home, and activities, where screens are not permitted, for example the dining table or bedtime.
  • Avoid judgement when talking to older teenagers: to keep up an ongoing conversation about their behaviour online, avoid strong reactions to the amount of time young adults spend on their devices.

How to manage screen time on smartphones

Parents can easily turn on screen time settings on iOS and Android devices to help children develop healthy screen time habits and focus on offline activities, either remotely from your own device, or directly on your child’s device.

Remotely on iOS devices:

Setting up Screen Time and a passcode

  1. On the Settings app, tap Screen Time
  2. Tap Turn on Screen Time
  3. Under Family, choose your child's name
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to set age-appropriate Content & Privacy restrictions, get a weekly Screen Time report, turn on other Screen Time settings, and lock the Screen Time settings and parental controls.

Setting Content and Privacy Restrictions

  1. On the Settings app, tap Screen Time
  2. Under Family, choose your child's name
  3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions
  4. Choose specific content and privacy options, including an age for suggested content restrictions.
Picture1.png

Setting App Limits Remotely

  1. In Screen Time, tap App Limits, then Add Limit
  2. Enter Screen Time passcode when prompted
  3. Select the app categories you want to limit, then tap Next to set the amount of time allowed
  4. Tap Add.
Picture2.png

Scheduling Downtime

  1. In Screen Time, select your child’s name under Family
  2. Tap App & Website Activity
  3. Tap Downtime
  4. Select Turn on Downtime Until Tomorrow or Scheduled
  5. Set the start and end times. During Downtime, only apps you choose to allow and phone calls will be available.

Remotely on Android devices:

Setting up daily limits for the first time using the Family Link app

  1. On your device, open the Family Link app
  2. Select your child’s account
  3. At the bottom centre, tap Controls
  4. Under “Daily limit,” tap Set up
  5. Select the hours and minutes you'd like to set for the limit.

Changing today’s limit with a parent’s device

  1. On your device, open the Family Link app
  2. Select your child’s account
  3. At the bottom centre, tap Controls
  4. Under “Daily limit,” tap Change for today
  5. Select the hours and minutes you’d like to set for the limit, and tap Done.

Changing the weekly limit schedule with a parent’s device

  1. On your device, open the Family Link app
  2. Select your child’s account
  3. At the bottom centre, tap Controls
  4. Under “Daily limit,” tap Edit weekly schedule
  5. Select the days you’d like to limit screen time.

Allowing or blocking apps on Family Link

  1. On your device, open the Family Link app
  2. Select your child’s account
  3. Tap Controls > App Limits
  4. Select the name of the app you want to allow or block
  5. Tap Block > Done.

Directly on your child’s Android device:

Setting a daily limit

  1. On your child's device, open Settings
  2. On Android versions 8.1 (O) and later, tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls
    • On other Android versions, tap Google > Parental controls
  3. To view the current settings, tap Daily limit
  4. To edit Daily limit settings, sign in or use your Parent Access Code to verify that you're a parent.

Setting up downtime and editing weekly downtime schedule

  1. On your child's device, open Settings
  2. On Android versions 8.1 (O) and later, tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls
    • On other Android versions, tap Google > Parental controls
  3. To view the current settings, tap Downtime
  4. To edit Downtime settings, sign in or use your Parent Access Code to verify that you're a parent.

At Vodafone, we want everyone to get the most out of tech and enjoy happy - and safe - digital lives. You can find resources and support to help you make the right digital choices for your family on our Digital Balance Hub: www.vodafone.com/digitalbalance

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  • Empowering People
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