This time of year it is especially hard to stay away from the television. It’s freezing outside, so you won’t find anyone enjoying their patios and the sun goes down early in the evening making you tired and unmotivated to get off the couch. Below zero temperatures or not, it’s important to be conscious of how much time we are spending glued to screens. Televisions, phones, computers, tablets, video games, you name it; they all contribute to your total hours of screen time for that day.

Did you know that kids under two are recommended to have no screen time unless it is for communicating? An example of this would be facetiming with a relative over the phone. If you do choose to introduce your children to screen time, remember to choose high quality programs and watch it with your children. Talk about what is happening in the show and point out different things to your kids. Examples of high quality programing are Sesame Workshop and PBS. Does it surprise you that children age’s two to five are recommended to have only one hour of screen time per day? The screen time recommendation for anyone older than two years old is one to two hours. That means you too, parents! Screen time should never replace interaction with family and friends or physical activity.

So now you know what the screen time recommendations are, but why follow them? Did you know that kids that watch more than the recommended amount of screen time are at risk for a slew of health problems? Those health problems include, but are not limited to: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, gall bladder disease, and sleep disorders. Every parent or care giver wants to set their child up with best possible outcome for life, and that is why is it important to do something as simple as limiting screen time. It can be a great reason for the family to interact and get imaginative!

Don’t worry; I’m not going to leave you hanging. Here are some ideas to get out there and get active: Walk the dog, read a book, take a hike, throw a ball, run a half mile, visit with a friend, play a game, do arts and crafts, visit a park, ride a bike, visit a local community center, visit the library, or maybe just smell the roses. Kids that spend less time in front of a screen tend to do better in school and are less prone to violence, early sexual activity, and smoking. Talk about motivation!

The last thing I want to leave you with is some tips to decrease screen time. Have you ever considered removing the television from your child’s room? Children with TV’s in their room tend to snack more, which is associated with a higher risk of being overweight because along with eating more, they are engaging in less physical activity. Another tip is to turn off screens when aren’t in use. Leaving televisions or other devices on creates background noise that is distracting to children and hinders their imagination and play. When dinner is served, tip number three comes into play; turn off the TV and put the phones and other devices down. This is a great time to connect with your child. Maybe you’ll come up with some fun ideas to get active. We’ve all been there when it feels like we’ve only been watching TV for an hour, but in reality your whole day has been wasted. Don’t let that become a habit; try setting a timer or picking one episode of a show to watch to help keep track of screen time accumulation. Am I the only one that has been dreaming of taking a tropical vacation after these past few frigid months? Maybe that isn’t feasible for your family, but you could take a screen vacation instead! It’s way more affordable and offers just as much family bonding time. Try no screens for a day, a week, or maybe all summer. The benefits are sure to outweigh the disadvantages! Try any of these tips out with your family to help decrease screen time or come up with your own. Remember, a healthy routine is an active one.