Saying Goodbye to Screen Time: Our Journey to a Screen-Free Family Life
Hello! Before I even get going, I want to say that I’m not anti-screen time, and this post has NO intentions of making you feel judged for your screen time use because trust me, we’re all trying our best. Some use it for managing work and making their finances work, others may you it for caring for sick kids, caring for kids with additional needs or just carving a moment of peace. This is just OUR story—where screen time ended over a year and a half ago, what we noticed in our home, what wasn’t working, and the changes we made!
We Were Never a “Big Screen” Family
We’ve never majored on screens. In-fact, since Joseph and I got married over ten years ago, we’ve never owned a TV or naturally defaulted to watching TV and therefore it’s never been a focus in our home. We’ve had seasons of jumping on someone else’s subscription to watch an occasional series (Ted Lasso?!) on our laptop, but whilst we were dating, we both agreed we wouldn’t have a TV as part of our home…(i’ve always found it weird that screens are a focal point of a room).
That said, like many families, screens did come into our rhythm here and there as the kids have been growing up. When the kids were around three, we’d occasionally use the laptop to show Heppy something then as time went on the kids would watch shows most days usually it would be for a short period at a random time in the day.
What didn’t work, though, was the randomness. The kids started asking ALOT, “Can we watch something now?” And that daily negotiation began to feel exhausting. So then when heppy was about 5, we set a clear boundary: screen time is at 5 PM, and then it’s off for dinner. It gave the kids a moment to pause, and it gave me a moment to cook in what I found was one of the biggest pinch points of the day and that worked, but only for a while.
What We Started to Notice
It wasn’t dramatic, but I began to notice that after I turned off the screen the kids were grumpy and dis-enaged. It bought a slump that needed to be worked through that was bigger than the brief peace I had gained from the screen being on.
The negotiation around screen time—“when? how long? what can we watch?”—felt like a drain on all our energy. I didn’t even know what I felt comfortable with them watching, and each time it took us SO long to find a suitable happy medium. Plus…were they even resting? Was this time beneficial just for a few moments peace? I was sensing that our natural rhythms lent themselves to a screen-free lifestyle- often outside, creating, baking, moving and so the screen didn’t fit that rhythm anymore.
We shifted again. We said, “Just Fridays”. I liked the idea of a communal TV time so we focused on a Friday movie night with everyone watching. But, with few we found to be suitable that everyone was happy watching, and then often forgetting it was that night of the week as the kids were often outside happily playing and I wouldn’t interrupt them, we’d miss putting something on and then we decided to stop altogether.
Why We Let It Go
In the end, we decided that for this season (which has now been over a year and a half)—it's simply easier to have a clear "no screen" boundary. I think it was a combination of reasons that led us here:
-It’s fairly well known that TV exposure can impact behaviour. And while we weren’t using it enough to cause long-term issues—or at least I didn’t think we were—I was noticing immediate changes in their behaviour which was out of character with the rest of the day and who they are. That alone made me want to remove it.
@Uschooler on Instagram has some fantastic content on the overstimulation TV can create from the fast-moving scene changes and colours and sounds- sharing how it’s all set up to hook them in. He talks about managing screen time and helping to prevent the overstimulation it can bring. The more I thought about this, we were really only down to a small handful of shows I felt truly comfortable with—and at that point I thought: is it even worth it?
-I wanted to detach and remove the association of TV and rest. This meant we had to find new ways to do that as a family and lean into those low-energy moments.
-I was aware of how the siblings get exposed to tv at a younger and younger age, which wouldn’t be the norm if they were a first child so I wanted to protect this.
-I started to feel like we were drifting from the vision we had for our family with screens. Plus, I didn’t want to pay for certain channels that would perhaps have the tv shows on that I felt comfortable with them watching or were my top choice and so it was easier to remove it altogether.
-I wanted to challenge myself to push into those moments of boredom with the kids or a dip in the day. I wanted the kids to know that creativity can come out of those moments.
-Some shows were beautiful and wholesome, and we made an effort to choose those. But I hadn’t truly taken the time to evaluate the content more deeply—the language being used, the values being taught, or even the topics being covered. We’ve watched our fair share of Paw Patrol in past seasons and, while it’s not overtly harmful, It made me realise how easy it is to normalise constant entertainment without questioning what’s being absorbed.
How We Made the Shift
Because they had minimal screens anyway, we went cold turkey. But I think the shift from screens every weekday to only on Fridays was a good first step, and then we went to nothing. It meant that I had to be more intentional with my time. I made sure get the kids involved in dinner or would have something to hand they could focus on at the table ie. sticker books or plaudough etc. This definitely took more mental energy but was worth it.
They’ve adapted so well. There’s been more creativity, more unstructured play, and honestly, less conflict than I expected. The house feels calmer without that constant pull toward “what can we watch next?”
For me, there is a peace of knowing screens aren’t a fallback plan and knowing there is a consistent boundary set.
This Isn’t a Prescription—It’s Just Our Story
If screens are part of your rhythm, like I said at the start, there is zero shame. Every family is different, and we’re all doing our best. This isn’t about “doing it right,” it’s just where we’ve landed—and I’m sharing it in case you’re feeling that gentle tug to try something different. It is so easy to get stuck in a way of doing things that we may not feel 100% comfortable with or may feels too big to shift but a change is possible. Also know that I am not a purist, I won’t die on the altar of no screens, I have used them for moments when the kids have been poorly or I have been poorly, but don’t have childcare. We use them very occasionally for some home education topics- we recently watched some thunderstorms on youtube after studying them for a science topic and I love this kind of content for our kids to see. We love David Attenborough, and there are some fantastic other travel/nature documentaries that I can only see as a benefit to kids. I know some parents need screens to get work done and they are a lifeline to so many I just don’t want them to be my first thought.
I’ve also noticed that this is a challenge to my own screen use and how that impacts everybody, too and myself. How’s my own behaviour after being with my phone?!
Could you try a screen-free season with your kids?
Here are a few ideas:
Choose a specific time to go screen-free—like after school or before dinner.
Replace screen time with audio—our kids love their Yoto player. And friends have a Tonies or Voxblock. You could also try story CDs, podcasts, or borrow audio books from the library with headphones.
Could you move to shared family screen time? You all watch together rather than the kids watching separately so it feels more of a family group activity.
Create a new ritual—invite them to help with dinner or prep snacks or read poetry, jump on a trampoline or draw together. What can you replace that time with?
Let your kids in on the why—talk about it together. Ask how it feels to try something new. Talk about why shows might not be the first choice and what they do to our minds etc.
Stay flexible—we still use screens occasionally when someone’s sick. It’s not all-or-nothing.
Try switching it up: start with a low-stimulation show or something more gentle as a place to start. You could switch to documentaries or educational kids programmes for a time.
Could you use your devices less to inspire your kids?
List of gentle low stimulation show recommendations for younger kids:
Little Bear, Trash Truck, Tumble Leaf, Guess How Much I Love You, Pip and Posy, Puffin Rock, Frog and Toad, Jojo and Gran Gran, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, along with others.
Where We’re At Now
For now, screen-free is our rhythm. It might shift again one day—and that’s okay. But right now, this slower, simpler approach has brought unexpected connection and calm into our days. Let me know if you’re screen-free as a family or you’re wanting to make changes! I’d love to chat!