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Youth Health and Wellness

Reducing Screen Time After Introduction: 
Guidance for Parents and Coaches

Even if your child or athlete already owns a smartphone, it’s never too late to build healthier digital habits. Research shows that clear boundaries, role modeling, and engaging offline activities can successfully reduce screen time — improving sleep, mood, and even performance on the field. Here’s how parents and coaches can make practical, science-backed changes starting today.

For Parents:

  1. Set Clear, Written Rules

    • Involving children in setting screen time limits increases adherence (Lauricella et al., 2015).

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests ≤2 hours/day of recreational screen time for school-aged children (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016).

  2. Create Device-Free Zones & Time

    • Removing devices from bedrooms is associated with earlier bedtimes and longer sleep duration (Cespedes et al., 2014).

    • Device-free meals promote better family communication and healthier eating habits (Fiese & Schwartz, 2008).

  3. Use Parental Control Tools Wisely

    • Digital monitoring and app limits can reduce late-night screen use and improve sleep quality (Hiniker et al., 2016).

    • Gradual reduction is more effective than sudden removal in avoiding resistance (Gentile et al., 2014).

  4. Replace, Don’t Just Remove

    • Substituting outdoor play or structured activities reduces total screen time and improves mood (Staiano et al., 2012).

    • Increased physical activity also improves sleep quality in children (Lang et al., 2016).

  5. Be a Role Model

    • Parents’ own screen habits are a strong predictor of children’s screen use patterns (Lauricella et al., 2015).

For Coaches:

  1. Limit Device Access During Team Activities

    • Enforcing device-free practices increases face-to-face interaction and social bonding (Valkenburg & Peter, 2011).

  2. Educate on Performance Impact

    • Athletes who use devices excessively before bed report poorer sleep and slower reaction times (Fullagar et al., 2015)

    • Explaining the link between sleep and performance improves compliance with screen limits (O’Donnell et al., 2018).

  3. Integrate “Offline” Challenges

    • Group-based behavioral interventions have been shown to reduce sedentary time in youth (Mitchell et al., 2013).

  4. Promote Healthy Recovery Routines

    • Mindful relaxation and stretching before bed improve sleep onset and muscle recovery (Caldwell et al., 2010).

Tips for Both Parents and Coaches

  • Start with Small Changes: Gradual reduction strategies are more sustainable than abrupt restriction (Gentile et al., 2014).

  • Track Progress: Self-monitoring using charts or logs enhances adherence to screen-time goals (Bandura, 1997).

  • Encourage Outdoor Activity: Time outdoors is associated with lower screen time and better physical health (Larson et al., 2019).

  • Celebrate Successes: Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of sustained habit change (Bandura, 1997)

Scientific References:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). Media and young minds. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162591.

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

  • Caldwell, K., Harrison, M., Adams, M., Quin, R. H., & Greeson, J. (2010). Developing mindfulness in college students through movement-based courses: Effects on self-regulatory self-efficacy, mood, stress, and sleep quality. Journal of American College Health, 58(5), 433–442.

  • Cespedes, E. M., et al. (2014). The role of sleep duration in the association between screen time and body mass index among U.S. adolescents. Sleep Medicine, 15(12), 1506–1512.

  • Fiese, B. H., & Schwartz, M. (2008). Reclaiming the family table: Mealtimes and child health and wellbeing. Social Policy Report, 22(4), 3–20.

  • Fullagar, H. H., et al. (2015). Sleep and athletic performance: The effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Sports Medicine, 45(2), 161–186.

  • Gentile, D. A., et al. (2014). Restricting access to television, video games, and computer games reduces children’s media time and behavioral problems. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(5), 429–435.

  • Hiniker, A., et al. (2016). Why would you do that? Predicting the uses and gratifications behind smartphone-usage patterns. Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2806–2817.

  • Lang, C., et al. (2016). Sleep duration and physical activity in association with obesity in children. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 13(5), 550–555.

  • Larson, L. R., et al. (2019). Nature-based recreation, psychological distress, and work engagement among U.S. adults. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 64, 101–108.

  • Lauricella, A. R., Wartella, E., & Rideout, V. J. (2015). Young children’s screen time: The complex role of parent and child factors. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 36, 11–17.

  • Lo, J., et al. (2020). Parental strategies for managing screen time in pre-adolescent children. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1455.

  • Mitchell, J. A., et al. (2013). The influence of combined lifestyle behaviors on long-term health in children and adolescents: A review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(1), 1–8.

  • O’Donnell, S., et al. (2018). Youth sport coaches’ perspectives on sleep and screen time in relation to performance. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(11), 1106–1110.

  • Staiano, A. E., et al. (2012). A video game–based physical activity intervention for children at risk for obesity. Games for Health Journal, 1(4), 321–327.

  • Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). Online communication among adolescents: An integrated model of its attraction, opportunities, and risks. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(2), 121–127.

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