Screen Time in Summer: a mini Guide

Summer brings longer days, more freedom, and a welcome break from routine. But with more free time for kids often comes… more screen time.

From endless Minecraft sessions to nonstop scrolling on TikTok, finding balance can be tricky. And somewhere between “just five more minutes” and “turn it off already,” it’s easy for screen time to become a daily battleground at home.

If you’d like to avoid these tensions and create a calmer, more positive atmosphere this summer, it might help to pause and reassess how your family approaches technology use.

According to Dave Anderson, PhD, Vice President of Public Engagement and Education and Senior Psychologist in the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, a healthy screen time strategy can be guided by four key questions:

🔹 What risks are you trying to prevent?

🔹 What would support your child’s physical and mental well-being?

🔹 What values do you want to shape their summer experiences?

🔹 What practical steps can help avoid daily conflict or guilt?

Summer can be a time for reconnecting, not for clashing over screens.

Read and/or print the full mini-guide “Screen Time in Summer” by clicking here

Find more tips in our Short Guide for Parents on excessive screen use in children and teens by clicking here

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) is implemented in partnership with Child Mind Institute, with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), as part of the SNF’s Global Health Initiative.