bloG: screen time & Family time

Running an online business can have its challenges when it comes to using screens.  However I know I’m not alone, when I say a lot of families face these sorts of challenges on a daily basis. 

How much is too much screen time? Are their rules for adults too? Does your partner come home and sit on their phone? Are they buried deep within Trade Me or Marketplace while they’re better off bathing the babies? 

We’ve recently had many chats about screen time in our house and I thought it would be topical to share more about this, if only to tell you what the rules are in our house, in case they might work for you, too.  We try not to have too many ‘rules’ around this kind of thing. We find we are more focused on being intuitive as to when and why we are using our phones in front of the kids, or why the kids need to be in front of a screen, whether on an iPad or watching TV.  


Obviously, these are just our rules. They’re the rules that make our family work more efficiently.  We are all different and we all run our families differently. This works for us; what works for us may not work for you.  



1.  When it’s dinner time, we are completely present with phones away
2.  When I’m watching something on TV with Dan (husband), phones are away
3.  When the kids are home and inside after school, phones are away
4.  No iPad time during the week for my boys. It’s just what we do.  The kids get quite intense when they’re playing their games, so we need to limit this.  We don’t have any games like Fortnite, as we look at the age rating before downloading anything.  It’s our view that the kids don’t need it even despite the fact that yep, they want it. At the end of the day, we are their parents and they are our children; they know that we set the rules and boundaries.  

5.  In the weekend, around midday (often when Tei, our littlest, is napping), they each get to go on the iPad for 30 minutes.  Sometimes they get a bit longer, depending on what I’m doing! 

6.  The TV is on in the morning but is turned off at 7:30am.  This works for us. 

7.  After school, the kids come home, have something to eat and then they’re outside, generally until around 4pm. Now that it’s warmer, they’re out for longer. If they want, they can come in from 4pm and watch TV until 5pm when dinner is served. For us, this works well because they are wanting to sit and chill, and at this time I’m often busy cooking so they aren’t nagging me!  There’s no more TV after that. 



Sometimes, it can be a good idea to sit down with your partner to implement or refresh rules, boundaries and/or routines. We find that being consistent and clear with these ‘rules’ can aid in making our day run just that little bit smoother. Rules and routine can really help with the children’s moods, and the kids adhering to rules can also help us in getting more enjoyment out of parenting.  Being present with our children and partner can help nurture our relationships and make us feel happier being around each other. 

At the end of the day, we want to create a safe and happy environment for our children, and this is just one little way we can work towards that.

Leece x