School is out for the summer. Cue the long, hot, unstructured days of summer break. With about 70 to 80 days off, if camps, vacations, and playdates aren’t filling the calendar, it’s likely a digital screen will.
From tablets to smartphones, laptops, computers, gaming consoles, and televisions, the average American household has multiple devices for children to turn to. Sushma R. Hebbar, MD, a pediatric specialist with UT Physicians Pediatric Primary Care – Texas Medical Center, offers advice to reframe the summer months as an opportunity to reduce screen time and reset habits.
Why a screen-free summer matters for kids’ health
Spending time on a screen means the body is not moving. Looking at a handheld device for long periods can strain vision, and relying on the instant gratification of social media can reduce problem-solving skills and foster the belief that self-worth is determined by online engagement.
“Children need to be moving all summer long to release endorphins, improve bone and muscle health, and keep their vision nimble,” said Hebbar, an assistant professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “Children aren’t getting those benefits when using a screen for hours, and online platforms have built an instant gratification experience to keep users scrolling, which can lead to increases in self-doubt and anxiety.”
Benefits of a screen-free summer include:
- Physical well-being: More time for active play means stronger muscles and bones, improved cardiovascular fitness, and a healthier weight.
- Mental and emotional health: Less screen time can improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and increase emotional regulation, ultimately boosting mood.
- Social and developmental growth: Face-to-face interaction allows children to develop empathy and communication skills, read social cues, and build self-confidence that screens cannot teach.
How much screen time is too much?
It’s neither reasonable nor appropriate for every family to remove screens 100% of the time for the entire summer. Hebbar offers this guidance from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
- Under 18 months: No screen time, except for video chatting with family
- 18 months to 2 years: Intermittent educational programs watched with a caregiver
- 2 to 5 years: Non-educational screen time limited to one hour per weekday and three hours on weekend days
- 6 years and older: Non-educational screen time limited to two hours a day
Avoid independent screen time for children, especially when using social media platforms, without adult supervision. The frontal lobe, the part of the brain that balances reason, judgment, and decision-making, doesn’t mature until about age 25 or later. This is why kids and teens can’t completely dissociate from social media or from what they see on screens.
“Social media heavily engages with the brain’s reward center, creating a tug-of-war where the algorithm can override a child’s ability to exert self-control, which can keep a child using a screen for much longer than is healthy,” Hebbar said.
Practical tips for a screen-free summer
A successful summer without screens should begin with a family media plan. Set clear, consistent guidelines that the whole family follows. Allow children to give input, share ideas, and help create the plan.
How to set screen-free rules:
- Define what screen time means for your family. Does it include video games, apps, texting, or binge-watching TV?
- Agree on daily or weekly screen limits for everybody.
- Establish screen-free zones, such as bedrooms and the kitchen table.
- Establish screen-free hours, such as one hour before bed and during mealtimes.
“This only works if everyone participates,” Hebbar said. “Parents have to model the behavior they want their children to follow.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers this digital toolkit to personalize a family media plan.
Screen-free summer alternatives by age
Fill the void of summer days with a balance of free time and planned activities.
- Young kids (ages 3 to 7): Sensory play with water tables, play dough, sand, and peg boards. Backyard games like tag, hide-and-seek, and playing in the sprinkler. Simple crafts such as sticker-by-number or paper-bag animals. Imaginary play with cars, blocks, dinosaurs, and dolls.
- School-aged kids (ages 8 to 12): Sports like soccer and four square only need one ball. Outdoor fun with bikes and scooters. Challenges like scavenger hunts or obstacle courses. Give them a task they can do alone, such as a DIY project.
- Teens: Volunteering, part-time work, skill-building hobbies, offering to help a neighbor, summer camp assistant.
“This is also a time to incorporate family chores,” Hebbar said. “Giving children ownership of a space or task helps them build self-confidence.”
Have a goal associated with completing tasks, like a trip to their favorite store, restaurant, or frozen yogurt shop.
Additional activities:
- Creative activities: arts and crafts, music
- Group play: board games, card games, build a pillow fort, relay races, brain teasers
- Independent play: puzzles, coloring, reading, bracelet making, Lego bricks
- Learn something new: sewing, crocheting, chess, baking, gardening, making smoothies
- Outdoor play: parks, flying a kite, nature walks, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, water balloons
- Scheduled activities: museum, library, community pool, indoor play place, bowling, arcade
Overcoming “I’m bored.”
Make an “I’m bored” jar with quick ideas to fill 10 to 30 minutes of independent play.
Write these examples on scratch paper or popsicle sticks for children to randomly select:
- Count stuffed animals
- Learn the 50 U.S. states in alphabetical order
- Memorize each state capital
- Recite the alphabet backward
- Collect a pile of sticks outside
- Write a song about your favorite food, and present it
- Dance party for 20 minutes
- Draw your dream house
- Paper airplane competition
- Create a family handshake
- Freeze dance for 20 minutes
- Write a letter and mail it
Have a kid who doesn’t want to complete the chosen activity? Incorporate a series of age-appropriate exercises before they can select again.
Long-term benefits of a screen-free summer
Use the summer break to establish lifelong healthy habits by regulating screen time. By going screen-free or significantly limiting screen time, Hebbar hopes to help children:
- Increase physical activity
- Get better quality sleep
- Develop emotional regulation
The combination of benefits will help students prepare for academic readiness in the fall by growing their attention spans and deepening their communication skills and family bonds.