Rebuilding Rob

How do I manage my screen time? I don’t!

That’s not entirely true. I can, and do, take myself away from the screen. The truth is, I don’t put any hard-and-fast limits on the amount of time I spend in front of my phone, computer or TV each day. I’m usually good about policing myself. When I have things I need to get down, I get them done. If I’m bored, I’ll put my phone down or turn off the TV.

This is not to say that I don’t spend too much time in front of a screen. I think we all do. My current job requires that I spend hours per day in front of a screen. At the same time, I allows for a lot of “down time” that I usually spend..in front of a screen. But by and large, I’m able to regulate my screen time well.

I worry about my boys and their screen time. Kid 2 in particular. Kid 1 spent a lot of time in front of a screen when he was Kid 2’s age; but he was also involved in more extracurricular activities. Still, I’m confident that things will level off with Kid 2 in time. In the meantime, I’m stricter with his screen-time than I was with Kid 1. I find myself agreeing with this British article , presumably written during the lockdown days of the pandemic, that its the quality, not quantity of screentime that is important for children. I’m much more likely to tell Kid 2 to find something else to do if he’s wasting away the day on You Tube, as opposed to PBS Kids.

I think part of the reason I’m so reluctant to put hard limits on things like TV time is that I believe the more you restrict or limit someone on something, the greater lengths they will go to to get it.

When I was growing up, the family next door to me would limit their children’s (one boy and one girl) TV time to ONE show per day. I do not remember whether that was a half-hour or a full hour program. When they would come to my house, they were mesmerized if the TV was on. The boy would got so entranced by whatever was on that I would literally have to wave my hand in front of his face to get his attention.

I would never want my kids to be so hypnotized by a screen that that act like that. Furthermore, I would never want my kids to feel like they have to sneak around for something as trivial as screen time, like the neighbor kids did.

How do you, or do you, limit screen time for you or your children?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. All of your views, likes and follows are greatly appreciated! Be sure to follow me on social media as well!

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Unplugging From The Matrix” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.