Could Supporting Parents Help Reduce Kids’ Screen Time?

“Just one more video.” “I’m almost done.” “Why do I have to turn it off?”

If those conversations sound familiar, you know that managing kids’ screen time involves more than setting a timer. There is dinner to make, homework to finish and a child who may have very different ideas about when the tablet should go away.

Parents need a plan they can use on an ordinary, exhausting Tuesday.

A new study published in Public Health in Practice explored a brief online parent program and changes in children’s screen time, parental stress and family functioning.

What the study found

According to Scienmag’s report, Swedish researchers evaluated P-FAME with 29 parents of 22 children receiving child mental health services. Eligibility covered children ages 6–12.

The program offered three 90-minute online group sessions over five weeks. Parents learned about screen habits, conflict triggers and constructive communication.

Afterward, parents reported:

• Less child screen time: Average estimates fell from approximately 58 hours per week to 32 hours.

• Lower parental stress: Scores on a parenting stress measure decreased.

• No significant improvement in overall family functioning.

These are preliminary findings. There was no comparison group, screen time was parent-reported, and follow-up occurred just two weeks after the program. Almost all the children were boys, and around 59% had ADHD. The results cannot establish that the program caused the changes, that improvements would last or that other families would see similar results. The reported stress improvement concerned parents; it does not establish lower stress in children. Read the Scienmag report.

A family screen-time plan has to work in real life

At Read To Me, we see a practical question worth asking: what would make a different routine easier for both the child and the adult?

A screen may fill the gap while a parent cooks, finishes work or catches their breath. A useful family plan has to account for those moments. It should also leave children with something they actually want to do when the device goes away.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a family media plan that fits the household’s routines, includes adults and leaves room for reading, outdoor play, games and hobbies. It also suggests screen-free times and places, with regular opportunities to revisit the plan. AAP: How to Make a Family Media Plan.

Here are five ways to put those general principles into practice. These are everyday examples, not a recreation of the P-FAME program.

Five practical ways to make room for screen-free time

1. Choose one part of the day to work on. Pick a specific moment, such as the time between dinner and getting ready for bed. Decide what a manageable change would look like for your household. You can start with one short reading break.

2. Let your child help choose what comes next. Put two or three options on the table: a picture book, a puzzle or drawing supplies. Ask which one they would like ready when screen time ends. For an older child, that list might include a graphic novel, a model-building project or time outside with friends.

3. Make the alternative easy to reach. Try a basket beside the couch containing books your child picked, paper and crayons. A small setup like this gives you something concrete to offer while you are occupied. Refresh it together when the choices lose their appeal.

4. Explain the routine before the difficult moment. Try a specific sentence: “After this episode, we’re putting the tablet away and choosing our bedtime book.” Discuss the plan when everyone is calm, and invite questions about how it will work.

5. Notice what makes the routine manageable. After a few days, ask what felt easy and what got in the way. Did the chosen activity hold your child’s interest? Was the timing realistic for you? Adjust the plan around what you learn.

Make storytime an inviting part of the day

Storytime offers plenty of room for children to make the experience their own. They can pick the book, linger over an illustration, invent a voice for a character or ask to hear the same page again.

You might try an evening “book picnic” on a blanket, invite your child to draw a new ending or ask a grandparent to record a favorite story. None of those ideas requires a complicated activity schedule.

At Read To Me, we created the Recordable Book Buddy to make a loved one’s voice part of that experience, even when they are apart.

It attaches to the back cover of virtually any children’s picture book and lets you record the story page by page. Children press the matching buttons to hear your voice while following along in the physical book. There are no screens, apps or Wi-Fi required. Explore the Recordable Book Buddy.

The Book Buddy was not evaluated in this study. It is one option families can include in a screen-free storytime routine.

Available for under $30 on our website, RecordableBookBuddy.com, in over 150 independent bookstores, and through all major online retailers.

Tonight, let your child choose a book and find a comfortable place to share it. Leave time for the funny voices, the questions and the page they want to hear twice.

Your Voice. Their Favorite Story.