Screen time can be a delicate balancing act for parents. On the one hand, a little bit of time watching educational videos never hurt anyone. On the other hand, too much time staring at a screen isn't good for anyone's well-being. Where do you draw the line?
A psychiatrist dad of seven, Dr. Richard Wadsworth, is known for offering insight into his parenting philosophies and sharing information about kids' mental health on social media. Recently, Wadsworth opened up about his family's screen time policy. And plenty of TikTok users think he's onto something.
More from CafeMom: Mom Puts Entire Family on 'Screen Detox' & Daughter Has Already Jumped 5 Reading Levels
Wadsworth detailed the screen time policy he has for his seven kids.
Wadsworth took to TikTok on March 12 to share an interesting sight. His son was awake and lifting dumbbells at 6:30 in the morning. The thing is, he wasn't forced to exercise; he did it so he could play video games with his friend after school.
The dad stressed he's not forcing his kids to exercise.
"I’m not forcing my son to exercise every day," the father of seven said to the camera. "But I am setting rules and boundaries around screen time. He decided he wanted to have more time after school to play with his friend. And so in order to do that, he realized that he’d need to wake up a little bit earlier and exercise in the morning. And also that he would need to keep his room clean."
More from CafeMom: Mom of 3's 'Strict' Screen Time Rules Trigger Some Parents but They Kind of Make Sense
The family has a written-out screen policy hanging on their refrigerator.
A piece of paper hanging on their refrigerator reads, “Can I get on screens? Did you …” and follows up with a checklist of items the kids must complete before screen time. It includes cleaning up their rooms, doing their designated chores, picking up downstairs and upstairs, doing homework, exercising (one mile on the treadmill or 20 minutes doing another activity), making sure toilets are flushed, doing their laundry, and making sure they’re ready for the next day.
Too much screen use is associated with an increased risk for anxiety and depression.
Not only does Wadsworth have the screen time rules posted, but he also has all screens locked away. "If they want access to any of them, they need to come ask us, and we’ll go through the list together," he explained. "And they’re not getting their screens until the list is done."
The dad also noted that screen use is associated with increases in depression and anxiety in teens.
"We should not be giving our kids unlimited access to screens," he said. "Just as you would regulate the amount of candy and sugar that they ate, hopefully, you should also be regulating screen time that they have."
He concluded, "Set up some rules, make them very clear for your kids, put them on the fridge, and allow the rules to be enforced."
More from CafeMom: Screen Time Do's and Don'ts for the Toddler Brain
TikTok users reacted to the rules in the comments.
As one person commented, “Even I’m addicted to this screen. I have to tell myself to put it down all the time and I’m a grown adult. Kids definitely need this!”
“24 here. Grew up in this same exact scenario, but a little more strict," another TikToker commented. “I was sneaky and punishments were harsh. Looking back i couldn’t have been happier with how i was raised. Good job dad!”
Someone else wrote, “I hope no one sees a problem with this! This is great!”
“We implemented a similar plan, and I was surprised at how easy they took to it,” another person chimed in. “It’s almost like kids need structure. What a concept!”
“‘Are the toilets flushed’” is so real,” someone else wrote, to which the OP responded, “For a while I wondered if any of my kids knew how it worked.”
“I need someone to do this for me (im 28),” another person wrote. Wadsworth replied, “We all need parents sometimes.”
