Screen time gets a bad reputation most of the time. Usually, that reputation is well deserved as many battle addiction to screens and the other dangers that lurk within them. However, there is such a thing as good screen time, and it’s not that hard to find!

Educational

The obvious example of good screen time is that it can be educational. From learning to code to exploring ancient Egypt, there are endless possibilities for education with technology. Many schools are incorporating screen time into their classrooms to help enhance the learning experience. There are also a ton of apps that can help with various educational concepts like Math, Reading, Science, Coding, History and so much more.

You can even use some apps to identify the world around you like Google Lens. You can use the camera on your phone to identify animals or plants while you explore the world outside. Using screens to enhance the world around you to learn more about it is an excellent use of screen time.

Even YouTube videos and channels, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon shows that offer significant educational value. Bill Nye the Science Guy has returned to Netflix, Sesame Street is available on Hulu, and really so much more. Entertainment can be educational too if you find the right content.

Helps Productivity

Another good use of screen time is to help you or your children become more productive. Through habit trackers, to do list applications, calendars, and even apps to keep track of notes and schoolwork, you can do so much more with one little device than you used to be able to through a paper planner. You are also able to set automatic reminders so you never miss a beat.

Endless Creative Possibilities

While a child doesn’t typically have access to every color of paint, and all the brushes imaginable, through technology they can let their imagination go wild and create amazing works of art.

Creativity isn’t limited to drawing applications either. Kids can get really creative coding games and programs on their devices, and draw up plans for new inventions. They can even use it to create animated shows and upload them to platforms like YouTube.

Just as we mentioned with the educational value of screen time, your children can even watch different videos that can help them develop these creative talents so they can improve upon the skills they already have.

Is social

In a surprising addition to our list, social activity can also be considered good screen time, in moderation. Kids these days interact with each other through social apps. They no longer call each other on the phone. For this reason, in order for kids to have a social life, and learn how to interact socially with their peers, they will need to spend some time using social media. Shielding them from it entirely can actually be more detrimental to their mental health than allowing it in moderation. Do be aware of the signs that these interactions are turning a corner into bad screen time territory.

Screen time can really be a good thing, as long as you are using the right apps and using your screen time for the right things. However, sometimes just sitting down to play a game for entertainment only is a good thing too.