Keeping Our Children Safe at Home and In School
Mr Watson is our school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
If Mr Watson is not available, you can always speak to one of our school’s Deputy Safeguarding Leads:
Screen time over the summer holidays
It is understandable that over the summer holidays, your children may be requesting to use screens more than they usually would. It is really important that children are not spending prolonged periods of time in front of screens, as this has a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Follow the “Screen” mnemonic below to support your children to develop healthy screen habits over the summer holidays and beyond.
Screen Free Zones
Agree together specific times of day that will be completely screen free. For example, you could choose to go screen-free during mealtimes, for family games night, or the hour before going to bed. You may also wish to consider making specific areas of the house screen free, for example bedrooms. Remember, this rule is for everyone, including you!
Communicate
Communication is key. Talk about what you and your child(ren) enjoy doing online and sit together, whilst they are online, engaging in open dialogue about what you are doing. Encourage your child(ren) to speak to you if they see anything online that makes them uncomfortable or that they feel is wrong.
Be Realistic
Be realistic with your expectations and any rules you have set. It will not always be possible to stick to strict time boundaries for screen time. There will be times it suits everyone to have a little extra screen time and other times when less screen time will be necessary. Sometimes you may need to be flexible with your boundaries.
LEad by example
Stick to the screen free zones you have agreed to as a family and be sure to actively engage with your child during offline activities. Demonstrate the importance of a healthy online/ offline balance by engaging in a range of non-screen activities for yourself and your family. Our children watch and copy our behaviours, so try to avoid using your device as much as you can around your child to ensure they feel seen, heard and loved.
Consider their Engagement
Look at how your child is engaging with online platforms and how they are spending their time engaging with devices. Talk to your children about this. Screens can form a very valuable part of your child’s world, but it is important to ensure they are participating in age-appropriate activities
Look at how your child is engaging with online platforms and how they are spending their time engaging with devices. Talk to your children about this. Screens can form a very valuable part of your child’s world, but it is important to ensure they are participating in age-appropriate activities
Take Notice
Take notice of any changes in your child’s behaviour or demeanour. Be aware of the warning signs of too much time on screens and be prepared to re-evaluate your family agreement as needed. Familiarise yourself with how you can identify changes in behaviour and recognise signs of screens having a negative impact on your child.
