SINGAPORE: While much of a child’s screen time happens at home, experts say new guidelines on screen use in schools can significantly shape children's habits.
Dr Ong Say How from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said healthy screen usage requires a collaborative effort involving families, schools and healthcare institutions.
“Schools can help to reinforce healthy screen habits through consistent messaging, shared responsibility and structured environments that balance digital and offline activities,” said the senior consultant at IMH’s department of developmental psychiatry.
Parents must model healthy screen behaviours to mitigate negative effects, he added.
Adjunct Associate Professor Chong Shang Chee, who heads the National University Hospital’s division of developmental and behavioural paediatrics, echoed this. Schools can collaborate with parents to help children develop healthier screen habits if issues arise, he said.
Screen exposure often begins at home, sometimes as early as in infancy, said Ms Rowena Mark Ramos, the head of curriculum at preschool group Babilou Family Singapore.
Parents may find it challenging to keep their children away from screens entirely, and sometimes rely on them to have pockets of time to themselves, she added.
The structured and interactive nature of classroom activities typically limits excessive screen use, said Ms Ramos. Schools can thus help to instil responsible habits that extend into the home.
Experts also stressed that parents should limit their own screen time to set a positive example.
Adj Assoc Prof Chong said studies have shown that excessive screen use by parents often leads to similar behaviours in children.
“Parents should model good screen habits themselves, and reflect on whether they have tried to spend time with children without letting screens replace other activities,” she said.
She acknowledged the challenges of balancing screen use for work and leisure in today's digital age but emphasised the importance of physical activity.
“We can explain to children that the online use is for work (or) for example, schoolwork, and the guidelines are trying to separate the use of screens for work versus leisure. However, all screen time is sedentary time,” she said.
“There is no simple solution because we are a digital nation. Perhaps this guideline allows all of us, as parents, to also reflect on whether our dependence and utility of screens are excessive.”
IMH’s Dr Ong suggested that parents plan structured family activities, such as reading, exercising, board games and family outings, to prevent children from relying on electronic devices to pass the time.
“Even small changes, such as reducing time spent scrolling on phones or prioritising face-to-face communication, can significantly influence children’s attitudes towards screen use,” he said.
Under the new guidelines, preschools are prohibited from exposing infants up to 18 months to screens. For children aged 18 months to six years, screens can only be used for teaching and learning purposes, with usage outside of school limited to an hour a day.
Parents of young children who CNA spoke to had mixed responses.
Mr Muhammad Noor Danial, who has a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, called the guidelines a “good goal”, but said more support is needed for families.
He pointed out that reducing screen time often requires activities outside the home, which can be costly. Family-friendly places in Singapore are also often crowded, he said.
“Sometimes, the traffic just to get there and the experience for a parent can be quite tiresome. As parents of young kids, there will be strollers involved, logistics to prepare, such as the milk and all that," he added.
“So (to limit screen time) to one hour a day, I see it as a good reference point for parents, but it's also subjected to the parents’ own capacity and access to support systems outside of their own home.”
Ms Lydia Yong said she and her husband do not turn the TV on when their 10-month-old daughter is with them. She plans to allow limited screen time after her daughter turns 18 months old, but limit this to 30 minutes a day.
“After 18 months, it’s probably necessary because there are educational videos that are interactive and that’s also the age when they start to learn things,” said the 31-year-old.
“Some parents might also not be able to teach pronunciation too, so I think it’s okay to watch videos for this.”
For parents of primary school-aged children, enforcing screen time limits and teaching self-discipline are key.
Mr G-Jay Yong, who has a 10-year-old daughter, uses built-in iPad functions to limit her screen time to two hours a day. When she was younger, he enforced a one-hour limit and provided alternative activities when she hit the day's limit.
“When she grew older, she (became) a bit more self-disciplined and now knows how to control. She’ll split the screen time – 15 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after school, 30 minutes after dinner.”
His daughter had her own iPad before she entered primary school, but doesn’t “crave” screen time since she can access it easily, he said.
Mr Yong allows her to access YouTube, ChatGPT and Google, and guided her on how to use the sites and assess the quality of the information available online. She is not allowed to visit social media websites where there is "no meaningful content", he said.
His daughter shares a YouTube account with him and his wife, so they can monitor her consumption. From the videos she watched, they realised she had an interest in gymnastics and much to her delight, decided to send her for enrichment classes.
They also make it a point to hit the dislike button on content that they want her to avoid, so that the algorithm stops pushing related videos to her, said Mr Yong.
“Electronic devices are a good tool, but it’s a double-edged sword. If you use it properly, then it helps a lot, if you don’t use it properly, then it will cause a lot of harm,” he added.
Mr Kelvin Choo, a father of five boys, implemented screen time limits when his eldest son, now 18, was in primary school. He installed apps like Qustodio on his son's phone to track his whereabouts and monitor his internet usage. Screen time was restricted to evenings and weekends.
He lifted the controls when his son turned 16.
For his youngest son, 11, Mr Choo enforces similar rules, requiring him to surrender his phone at bedtime and only use it after dinner. He gets the phone again in the morning to bring it to school so he is contactable.
Once, his son’s grades dropped, and Mr Choo wanted to know how he could better allocate his time to prepare for tests.
“He told me, well, I probably will spend less time on the phone and I can use the extra time to prepare my work,” he said, adding that his son understands the link between excessive screen time and its impact on his grades.
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Dr Ong Say How from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said healthy screen usage requires a collaborative effort involving families, schools and healthcare institutions.
“Schools can help to reinforce healthy screen habits through consistent messaging, shared responsibility and structured environments that balance digital and offline activities,” said the senior consultant at IMH’s department of developmental psychiatry.
Parents must model healthy screen behaviours to mitigate negative effects, he added.
Adjunct Associate Professor Chong Shang Chee, who heads the National University Hospital’s division of developmental and behavioural paediatrics, echoed this. Schools can collaborate with parents to help children develop healthier screen habits if issues arise, he said.
Screen exposure often begins at home, sometimes as early as in infancy, said Ms Rowena Mark Ramos, the head of curriculum at preschool group Babilou Family Singapore.
Parents may find it challenging to keep their children away from screens entirely, and sometimes rely on them to have pockets of time to themselves, she added.
The structured and interactive nature of classroom activities typically limits excessive screen use, said Ms Ramos. Schools can thus help to instil responsible habits that extend into the home.
Related:
PARENTS MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Experts also stressed that parents should limit their own screen time to set a positive example.
Adj Assoc Prof Chong said studies have shown that excessive screen use by parents often leads to similar behaviours in children.
“Parents should model good screen habits themselves, and reflect on whether they have tried to spend time with children without letting screens replace other activities,” she said.
She acknowledged the challenges of balancing screen use for work and leisure in today's digital age but emphasised the importance of physical activity.
“We can explain to children that the online use is for work (or) for example, schoolwork, and the guidelines are trying to separate the use of screens for work versus leisure. However, all screen time is sedentary time,” she said.
“There is no simple solution because we are a digital nation. Perhaps this guideline allows all of us, as parents, to also reflect on whether our dependence and utility of screens are excessive.”
IMH’s Dr Ong suggested that parents plan structured family activities, such as reading, exercising, board games and family outings, to prevent children from relying on electronic devices to pass the time.
“Even small changes, such as reducing time spent scrolling on phones or prioritising face-to-face communication, can significantly influence children’s attitudes towards screen use,” he said.
PARENTS REACT TO GUIDELINES
Under the new guidelines, preschools are prohibited from exposing infants up to 18 months to screens. For children aged 18 months to six years, screens can only be used for teaching and learning purposes, with usage outside of school limited to an hour a day.
Parents of young children who CNA spoke to had mixed responses.
Mr Muhammad Noor Danial, who has a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, called the guidelines a “good goal”, but said more support is needed for families.
He pointed out that reducing screen time often requires activities outside the home, which can be costly. Family-friendly places in Singapore are also often crowded, he said.
“Sometimes, the traffic just to get there and the experience for a parent can be quite tiresome. As parents of young kids, there will be strollers involved, logistics to prepare, such as the milk and all that," he added.
“So (to limit screen time) to one hour a day, I see it as a good reference point for parents, but it's also subjected to the parents’ own capacity and access to support systems outside of their own home.”
Ms Lydia Yong said she and her husband do not turn the TV on when their 10-month-old daughter is with them. She plans to allow limited screen time after her daughter turns 18 months old, but limit this to 30 minutes a day.
“After 18 months, it’s probably necessary because there are educational videos that are interactive and that’s also the age when they start to learn things,” said the 31-year-old.
“Some parents might also not be able to teach pronunciation too, so I think it’s okay to watch videos for this.”
Related:
PARENTS OF OLDER CHILDREN SHARE STRATEGIES
For parents of primary school-aged children, enforcing screen time limits and teaching self-discipline are key.
Mr G-Jay Yong, who has a 10-year-old daughter, uses built-in iPad functions to limit her screen time to two hours a day. When she was younger, he enforced a one-hour limit and provided alternative activities when she hit the day's limit.
“When she grew older, she (became) a bit more self-disciplined and now knows how to control. She’ll split the screen time – 15 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after school, 30 minutes after dinner.”
His daughter had her own iPad before she entered primary school, but doesn’t “crave” screen time since she can access it easily, he said.
Mr Yong allows her to access YouTube, ChatGPT and Google, and guided her on how to use the sites and assess the quality of the information available online. She is not allowed to visit social media websites where there is "no meaningful content", he said.
His daughter shares a YouTube account with him and his wife, so they can monitor her consumption. From the videos she watched, they realised she had an interest in gymnastics and much to her delight, decided to send her for enrichment classes.
They also make it a point to hit the dislike button on content that they want her to avoid, so that the algorithm stops pushing related videos to her, said Mr Yong.
“Electronic devices are a good tool, but it’s a double-edged sword. If you use it properly, then it helps a lot, if you don’t use it properly, then it will cause a lot of harm,” he added.
Mr Kelvin Choo, a father of five boys, implemented screen time limits when his eldest son, now 18, was in primary school. He installed apps like Qustodio on his son's phone to track his whereabouts and monitor his internet usage. Screen time was restricted to evenings and weekends.
He lifted the controls when his son turned 16.
For his youngest son, 11, Mr Choo enforces similar rules, requiring him to surrender his phone at bedtime and only use it after dinner. He gets the phone again in the morning to bring it to school so he is contactable.
Once, his son’s grades dropped, and Mr Choo wanted to know how he could better allocate his time to prepare for tests.
“He told me, well, I probably will spend less time on the phone and I can use the extra time to prepare my work,” he said, adding that his son understands the link between excessive screen time and its impact on his grades.
Continue reading...