Questions for Parents to Consider:

‍Parents and Teachers: View the full VIP Facilitation Guide Here

Parents of Elementary School Students (dialogue starters):

Make Screen Time Shared Time

• What are some creative things you could do along with your child online to help encourage active screen time?

Ask Questions

• How can you engage with your child about their favorite online activities in order to get a better idea of how much of their screen time is active vs. passive?

Explaining Active Screen Time

• How can you explain to your child at his/her age the difference between mindless games/videos/scrolling and more productive online activities?

Parents of Middle School Students (dialogue starters):

Mining Your Student’s Interests

• Are there specific activities or interests your student might want to pursue where you could help them find “active” apps or instruction online?

Role Modeling

• As parents, how can you model productive screen time and active engagement to inspire your middle schooler to follow suit?

Beyond Time Limits

• How can you set boundaries with your student not only to help them minimize passive screen time but also avoid inappropriate content?

Parents of High School Students (dialogue starters):

Addictive Apps

• What are some passive screen time activities you’d like to see your student do less of?

Positive Online Tools

• How can you encourage your student to get involved in online groups that promote causes they care about or make videos that help them learn the power of positive messaging?

Mindful Screen Time

• If you’re concerned your child is over-engaging in social media scrolls or mindless online activities, how can you get them thinking about better uses of their time? 

More resources for parents, students, & educators

• ‍Balancing Video Game Screen time for Teens‍
• 50+ Tips to Limit Screen Time Without Conflict‍
• Using YouTube to Explore Colleges and Careers‍
• Positive Ways to Use ChatGPT for Students

Conclusion

Navigating screen time issues today is a huge challenge but finding balance is possible. There are definitely many negative consequences for excessive screen time, but in moderation, screen time offers many opportunities for teens to learn and develop their talents. By starting early, teens can set themselves up for a lifetime of balanced screen time use and reduce the potential negative impact.