Setting Healthy Screen Time Limits for Students Learning Online

September 1, 2022 byChristopher E. Nelson

6 min to read

Parents considering the switch to online school for their children may be concerned that an “online” education also means too much screen time for young eyes and minds. Those exposed to virtual school during the pandemic saw school days online added to their kids’ existing reliance on smartphones, video games, computers, TVs, and other electronic devices. At what point is it too much?

While some studies have suggested that spending too much time in front of screens is not good for children, there are obvious advantages to a child being comfortable with today’s technology and understanding the wealth of information that can be found online.

Parents and Connections Academy® Learning Coaches can create a healthy relationship with screens for their students who are learning online. They can find a balance between the advantages and disadvantages of screen time.

Pros and Cons of Screen Time for Children

Many researchers are concerned about children’s screen time. It is one issue under review by an ongoing National Institutes of Health study that is tracking brain development in more than 11,500 children recruited at ages 9–10 in 2015. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s fact sheet about screen time and children includes warnings about problems with too much screen time.

These organizations and others say children exposed to too much screen time may exhibit:

Worse mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety)
Increased behavioral problems
Decreased academic performance
Poorer sleep
Weight problems
Mood problems
Eye strain and vision loss
Poor self-image and body image issues
Fear of missing out
Less time reading books
Less time with family and friends
Too little outdoor or physical activity
Less time learning other ways to relax and have fun

Despite the drawbacks, the fact that screens are part of our children’s everyday lives cannot be dismissed. And that’s not always a bad thing. Researchers say the positive aspects of children’s facility with personal electronic devices and the unavoidable screen time required include:

Heightened quality of socialization and peer relationships (communication tools, multi-player video games)
Improved motor skills and coordination (video games)
Improved attitudes toward learning (educational apps and information online)

A primary “pro” for kids’ use of computer and tablet screens is the ease of doing homework and research for school assignments, as well as attending a virtual school online.

An online student and parent learning about the pros and cons of screen time.

Connections Academy Online Schools and Screen Time

There are many reasons parents choose online school for their children: flexible scheduling, personalized education, continuity for families who relocate often, an easier day for students with learning difficulties or health issues. Some families choose virtual school for their children to avoid bullying or potential violence that can be found in traditional brick-and-mortar school settings.

Regardless, ensuring healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning.

At Connections Academy free online home schools, the amount of time a student spends on the computer varies by grade. Younger students spend about 15–30% of the school day in front of screens, middle school students spend about 50–75%, and high school students spend about 80–90% of their school day working on the computer.

In online high school, where courses can become more challenging, the number of fixed-schedule online classroom meetings increases. Computer time may also vary based on the use of print textbooks or online textbooks, which varies by state and course.

Alyssa, who has one son who has been enrolled in Ohio Connections Academy for eight years, says he spends roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours online each school day completing various lesson activities, quizzes, and tests, as well as attending live lessons. “While that might seem like a lot of screen time, it isn’t mindless scrolling through the deep-sea Internet while staring at the computer,” she says.

Screen Time Recommendations for Children

So, if you commit to about one fifth of your child’s day to time spent in front of a computer screen during their school years, how much should screen time be limited for the rest of their day?

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggest that for children ages 2–5, non-educational screen time should be limited to about one hour per weekday and three hours on weekends. But for ages 6 and older, the AACAP acknowledges the inevitable and says only that parents and caregivers should “encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens.”

As you consider a screen time plan for your children, experts say it’s healthy to:

Create a screen time plan together.
Focus on content, not screen time.
Join your kids for some screen time activities.
Turn off all screens during family meals and outings.
Encourage breaks to stretch, refocus and rest their eyes, and to go outside for a walk or longer play.
Turn off screens and remove them from bedrooms 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Learn about and use parental controls.

An online student using her screen time productively.

Why Limiting Children’s Screen Time Is Bad

Research also says that it’s what’s on your children’s screens that matters—content, not screen time. A recent study at Oxford University says children could engage in over five hours of device-based activities before they’d show any signs of negative impact.

In fact, the study’s results suggest that children who spend between one to two hours a day engaged in television-based or digital device activities are more likely to have better levels of social and emotional well-being than non-users.

Most teens (about 63%) have a healthy relationship with technology, according to a nationwide study conducted by the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Experts say parents should make a distinction between academic and recreational screen time. Do not count screen time spent in online school sessions against your kids when they want to relax and watch TV or play video games.

“Lots of tech-related activities can be beneficial for children, such as ones where they are in touch with their friends or ones—including games—where they develop strategies and bolster creativity. Restricting such activities may not be a good idea,” says University of Zurich communication scientist Eszter Hargittai.

Hargittai and her colleagues surveyed 1,100 first-year university students, including those who grew up with strictly limited tech use and those whose parents had a more laissez faire attitude. They found that kids who were allowed to self-regulate their screen time got just as good grades as those whose parents closely controlled their activity. In fact, those whose parents explicitly stated they were limiting tech to boost academic achievement actually did worse when they got to college. They were free to indulge in recreational screen time unsupervised for the first time and were less able to discipline themselves.

Teaching independence is central to an online school education from Connections Academy. If you think online school might be a positive source of screen time for your child, read more about the top benefits of online school or request information about a Connections Academy school near you.