| Eight We Can!™ Tips to Wean the Screen Televisions, video games, computers, cell phones, and portable music players – screens are everywhere these days, including our living rooms, our cars, and our pockets. Every day kids ages 8-18 spend on average about 4 1/2 hours watching TV, more than 90 minutes on the computer, and over an hour playing video games. That totals over 7 hours a day in front of a screen! Extensive screen time can leave kids (and adults) sleep deprived, reduce physical activity levels, and increase eating. Here are eight tips to wean the screen: - Have a screen test. Determine how much time you and your family spend in front of screens such as televisions, computers, video games, and cell phones. Once you know your family's screen time, you'll be able to figure out how best to balance screen time with physical activity, household chores, and other activities. Download a screen time log.
- Do a reality check on reality TV. Set guidelines on the amount of screen time your children are allowed to have. Health experts recommend 2 hours or less a day of screen time that is not work- or homework-related. Once you set guidelines, make them a reality by enforcing them.
- Practice what you preach. If your kids see you following your own rules, they will be more likely to do the same. Limit your own screen use and spend more time connected to your family. You are a much more important role model for your children than a TV superhero.
- Meal appeal. Turn off the TV and put away cell phones during family meals.If you have a TV where you eat family meals, consider removing it. Meal time offers a great opportunity to reconnect each day. Research shows families that eat together eat more nutritious meals than families who eat separately.
- Get lean in front of the screen. Turn TV time into fit time. Position hand weights, fit balls, yoga mats and other fitness equipment near your television(s). Stretch, do biceps curls or have a push-up contest with your family while watching TV. Or pop in an exercise video, DVD, or game to get everyone's heart rate up.
- Snack attack. It's easy to mindlessly eat while watching TV or working at a computer. Keep healthy foods on hand. To get ideas for healthy snack choices explore the GO, SLOW and WHOA Foods chart.
- Prevent bed head. If your child has a television in their bedroom, remove it. Children with TVs in their rooms tend to be more physically isolated.
- Get physical. Children should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Brainstorm ideas with your family on activities to do together for fun. Examples include going for a walk or hike, engaging in household activities like washing the car or gardening, or visiting local sites such as a museum or zoo. Explore more ideas to move more.
Disconnect from electronic devices in order to reconnect with your family and loved ones!  Learn more
- We Can!™ Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook
(en español)
Learn practical tips to help your family find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight.
- We Can!™ Resources to Wean the Screen
Information, statistics, and tools to help you and your family reduce your screen time and increase your energy out.
- We Can!™ Energize Our Community: Toolkit for Action
A one-stop shop for community planners. Includes planning tools, reproducible materials, and curricula with dynamic activities.
™ We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition, We Can!, and the We Can! logos are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). We Can!™ is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.
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