Helping Kids with ADHD Manage Screen Time

Your child with ADHD uses technology excessively. Why is it so tough to pull them away from electronics, and what can you do about it as a parent? In this article, I will first address why screen time can be such a significant problem for kids with ADHD specifically. Then, I will provide solutions for how to help kids with ADHD manage screen time, such as building a plan, explaining boundaries clearly, giving warnings, and replacing screen time with physical activity. 

Screen Time and Kids with ADHD

Excessive screen time is linked to sleep problems, an increase in behavioral issues, strained eyes, lower self-esteem, and other concerns. Helping kids with ADHD manage screen time can be particularly difficult, but why is that the case? The frequent, immediate boosts in dopamine provided by technology-based activities such as video games and social media likely play a role. Many kids with ADHD find themselves fixated on these things, whereas it’s difficult for them to concentrate on other less rewarding or stimulating activities. It is also proven by research that people with ADHD are more likely to experience internet addiction. 

How to Help Kids with ADHD Manage Screen Time

Despite challenges, it’s attainable for parents to help their kids with ADHD reduce screen time and find balance. It might not be easy at first, but if you have a plan and stand your ground, it’ll likely get easier in time. That being said, here are seven tips on how to help kids with ADHD manage screen time. 

Use parental apps

If you’re like many parents, you’ve probably tried to limit your child’s screen time already. “It just doesn’t work for my child,” you might think, “it always results in a fight.” It’s true that this change takes a lot of energy, and most kids will put up a fight. Something that can be incredibly helpful and even imperative for parents in this situation is the use of parental control apps that help parents manage their technology usage. Every app is different. There are apps that let you monitor usage, approve and reject certain activities (e.g., you might want to block a specific website) apps that let you “lock” devices and games so that your child can’t use the device even if it’s in their hands, and apps that let you set a schedule for when usage should be paused throughout the day/week - or that let you pause the device on-demand. There are even apps that let kids “earn” more screen time when they complete chores and other tasks. 

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Have a plan

Before you set out to change your child’s technology usage, it’s important to have a plan. Ideally, this plan will involve: 

• Set times when screens are allowed. This way, you will be able to set clear boundaries and guidelines around when they should and shouldn’t be using technology. 
• Replacement activities. If your child isn’t using a screen, what should they be doing instead, and how can you make those activities stimulating enough? Homework, chores, and hobbies like art, sports, playtime with friends, and so on are all things you can schedule into your child’s day in advance. You don’t need to verbalize that these activities are there to replace technology. Instead, make it clear that it’s time for the specific activity, and if they ask, let them know when the device will be available to them next.

Explain the boundaries to your child

Once you have a plan for what you want screen time to look like in your household, it’s time to explain the boundaries to your child. Your expectations should be clear, and they should be consistent. It can help to let them know that they aren’t putting the device away forever; let them know when they’ll have access next. For example, “at 5 PM, I’ll put the game away until tomorrow after school, and then we can make dinner together.”

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Be age appropriate

Make sure that the limits and boundaries you set are age appropriate. There are recommendations that can help you do this. For example, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests that those aged 2-5 should stick to a limit of around one hour of non-educational screen time per day on weekdays and three hours on weekends, but the recommendations proposed for those older and younger differ. It often takes more time to shift behavior related to technology usage in kids who have engaged in overuse for longer. If you feel stuck, or if limiting technology usage is stressful for your family, it could be beneficial to ask a child’s doctor or another healthcare professional they see and ask what they’d suggest in terms of screen time, boundaries, or, if applicable, tapering technology usage. 

Give warning

Before your child starts using their electronic device, give them a fixed expectation for when it needs to be powered off or given back to you (e.g., “at 3 PM”). As it approaches the time to take away electronics or turn them off, give warnings leading up to it. So, if screen time is over at 3 PM, you might give a warning both 15 and 5 minutes before. Some parents prefer to warn the child 30, 15, and 5 minutes before. 

Replace screen time with a physical activity

Scheduling other activities outside of screen time can be crucial for avoiding excessive use. If your child is bored, what’ll feel natural for most kids who are already used to doing so is to turn to screen time. One of the things kids miss out on most due to excessive screen time is physical activity, so an active hobby, such as a sport, playing active games together as a family or with other kids, an outdoor family walk, time running around at the park, dance class, or something else (e.g., hula hooping, jump rope), is a great thing to replace it with. Consider adding the activity to their routine at a set time to avoid backsliding. For example, if it is a weekly class, sports practice, or outing, it’s tougher to let this routine slide away and back into technology usage. Any activity that involves movement works! 

Put devices away when not being used

If electronic devices are within your child’s sight or reach, it’ll be much harder to limit usage - especially for kids with ADHD who tend toward overuse. When devices aren’t being used, put them away. Even if you do use apps that help you limit your child’s screen time, it’s best that technology is out of sight and out of mind when you don’t want them to use it. Seeing the device could cause distress if it isn’t time to use it. 

Takeaway

It’s common for kids with ADHD to engage in too much screen time. However, there are strategies that can help parents manage screen time, such as setting clear boundaries, giving warnings, and using parental apps. Limiting screen time benefits people of all ages and may improve sleep, promote time spent on other activities, and protect overall well-being.