With the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation, many children find themselves with long hours of free time, leading them to spend more time in front of screens, whether on smartphones, tablets, or television. In the absence of the school routine and usual daily activities, these devices can become the primary means of entertainment, raising questions among many parents about how to balance entertainment and benefit, and protect children from excessive screen use.

Martha Deiros Collado, a clinical psychologist based in the UK and author of the book "The Smartphone Solution: When and How to Give Your Child a Phone," says, "I think it's very easy to rely on the screen," according to CNBC.

She adds that the more time a child spends in front of a screen, the less time they devote to acquiring skills needed to interact with the real world, such as playing, real social interaction, and developing independence.

Below are the top tips from experts, including Collado and Nir Eyal, author of "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life," to help parents regulate their children's screen use during the summer.

Start by asking your children: How do you want to spend your time?

Experts believe that the key is to achieve a balance among different activities; therefore, when planning a child's summer day, it is important to think about all the activities they can engage in and determine the appropriate place for screens within that schedule, rather than making them the main activity.

Collado says, "I don't want my 7-year-old daughter to spend 5 hours in front of a screen because that would deprive her of playing in the garden, playing with her sister, helping me prepare lunch, or baking a cake."

If the children are teenagers and plan their own days, Nir Eyal recommends helping them create a plan from the start of the vacation by involving them in setting their priorities.

He suggests that parents ask questions like:

- How much time do you want to spend with your friends?

- How much time do you want to spend with your family?

- How much time do you want to allocate to camping or building something new?

- Do you want to start a small project, write, or shoot videos?

Such questions help teenagers think about how to invest their time instead of letting it all slip away in front of screens.

3 hours of any activity may be long

Studies have shown that early and excessive exposure to screens is associated with lower cognitive abilities and poorer academic performance in children.

Therefore, it is advisable to check age-appropriate recommendations for screen time. Nir Eyal also believes that TV or tablet use should not exceed 3 hours per day, explaining that "3 hours of anything is probably too much."

Collado advises helping children organize their time by creating a clear weekly schedule, writing it on a whiteboard or any visual aid, and specifying times for various activities, including an hour for TV or tablet use.

She adds, "I think having a visual aid helps a lot" because it gives the child a clear picture of their day and reduces arguments about device use times.

Not all screen time is the same

Collado points out that the quality of time a child spends in front of a screen is as important as its duration.

She explains that sitting alone in front of a screen is different from watching a movie with parents or playing video games with friends, as these activities represent shared social experiences.

Also, using a tablet for drawing, designing artwork, or writing a story is very different from aimless browsing or continuously watching videos without a goal.

Regarding internet and social media use, Nir Eyal notes that social media companies themselves recommend not allowing children to use their platforms before the age of 13, considering this age limit an easy rule for families to apply.

For teenagers, he advises having an open dialogue with them about the dangers of endless browsing and its impact on attention and mental health, then giving them space to participate in decision-making about their use of these platforms.

Designate phone-free areas in the home

Collado believes that one of the most important rules to follow is to ban screens from bedrooms, saying, "No screens in bedrooms is a basic limit for me... Devices should be used in a common area, whether on the couch or in the dining room."

In Nir Eyal's home, the family bans phone use at the dinner table, and he says there is ample evidence that children who eat meals with their families and talk to them are less likely to suffer from mental health problems.

Experts emphasize that the success of any rules parents set depends on compliance by all family members, including parents or anyone caring for the children during summer vacation, because children imitate behavior more than they respond to instructions.

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