How Can Parents Limit Kids’ Screen Time This Festive Season?

The Children’s Commissioner says the festive period brings longer days at home and heavier screen use for many children. In guidance released recently, Dame Rachel de Souza writes that parents and carers play a very important and impactful guiding hand in helping children manage digital habits during school holidays.

Evidence gathered by the Children’s Commissioner’s office shows screen use is already high. A YouGov poll for the office found 23% of children spend more than four hours a day on a screen. Separate polling found 69% of children aged eight to 15 spend more than two hours a day on screens. These figures cover phones, tablets and laptops.

The Commissioner says screen time counters only track hours and minutes, it doesn’t necessarily show or report what children actually do online. Schoolwork, short videos, games and messaging all count the same. Because of this, the advice centres on setting limits that look at both time and activity, rather than leaving devices unchecked during the holidays.

What Worries Children And Parents Most During The Holidays?

Children told the Commissioner that the online world links closely to their offline lives. Many use social media every day to talk to friends, relax or follow shared interests. Platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok came up often in group discussions run for the guide.

At the same time, children spoke about endless scrolling and trouble switching off, especially late at night. Some said they felt drawn to their phones without really choosing to pick them up. Parents also worry about mood changes, sleep problems and peer pressure during long breaks.

The Commissioner mentioned that rules at home can help. Children said they usually follow limits when parents explain them clearly. Even when rules feel annoying, many accept them if the reasons make sense and feel fair.

So What Does The Children’s Commissioner Say Parents Should Do?

Dame Rachel de Souza says parents should not try to be their child’s friend online. Her guide says adults need to set boundaries and make difficult decisions, especially when risks are unclear. She adds that confiscating phones does not always work and can stop children from talking when problems arise.

Instead, the advice is to talk early and keep conversations going. Children involved in the research said clear boundaries make them feel safer. Many teenagers said they would not give their own future children a smartphone at the age they first received one.

The guide also spoke on the importances of setting shared rules over the festive break. Examples include phone free meal times, no devices in bedrooms at night and agreed periods away from screens. Children said these rules work best when adults follow them too.

The Commissioner’s final message is that responsibility cannot be passed to schools, politicians or technology firms. Parents and carers know their children best. Over Christmas and New Year, she says calm guidance, clear limits and open talk matter more than strict bans on screens.

How Parents Can Help With Children’s Screen Time

Experts have given tips on how parents can ensure healthy habits when it comes to screen time this holiday season…

SC S. Lynn Cooper, Managing Partner, Socially Ahead

“Replace, don’t just restrict. The biggest mistake parents make is saying “no screens” without offering a better alternative. During the holidays, kids are bored between activities, and that’s when devices fill the gap. Instead, create specific screen-free windows: “No phones during meals” or “Devices charge overnight in the living room” are easier to enforce than vague all-day limits.”

“Make it automatic, not a battle. Use charging stations in common areas, set up device-free zones (like bedrooms or the dining table), and let parental controls do the heavy lifting. When the rule is built into the environment, there’s nothing to negotiate.”

“Model what you want to see. Kids notice when parents scroll at the dinner table or on the couch, but tell them to put phones away. The most powerful thing you can say is: “I’m putting my phone in the drawer so we can focus on this game together.” Name the choice out loud so it teaches them the skill, not just the rule.”

Steven Athwal, CEO and Founder, The Big Phone Store

“The festive season is the perfect storm for more screen time with kids. They’re out of school, with no routine, and you’re just as busy as ever. So, the iPad picks up babysitting duties. In all that chaos though, there are actually tricks and tips for reducing screen time.

“The biggest one is using the built-in parental controls. Both iPhone and Android give you access to lower the screen time kids have, with limits for certain apps like social media, implementing downtime limits, and even keeping evening screen light on. Use their native functions, ‘Screen Time’ on iPhone or ‘Digital Wellbeing’ on Android, to monitor this, making their screen time a system, instead of being up for debate.

“But, of course, this does not fix everything. What happens when kids start crying and demanding more screen time? One way to change this is by making time outside of the phone seem special. Make phone-free times, like breakfast or after-dinner walks, and have more fun, quality social times. The more quality no-phone time you have as a family, the less your child will crave the phone. On that note, kids respond better to ‘rewards’ and ‘differences’, than they do simply being told ‘no, you’re not allowed’.

“But it is also unrealistic to always implement extra quality family time, parents have busy, chaotic lives. I speak as one myself. A way to try to remove the guilt of letting kids use tech is by actually implementing it into family time. Have shared social times with screens, like group video calls or Christmas movie night. That way, your child isn’t isolated on a phone, and are still enjoying quality social time.

“And for those times you simply are too busy, try setting ‘screen windows’ and not just daily time limits. Make them look forward to their phone time, view it as a reward, not a limit. Let’s say, early evening is their designated phone hour. This way, instead of constant debate with you all day, they know they’re getting the phone at some point and can look forward to it.

“One more thing is the phone itself. As a phone expert, I know these newer phones are designed to be addictive. The bright display, higher refresh rates, it’s all catered for adults to have the most optimum experience. But this is just extra stimulating and addictive for children. I personally would opt for simpler, older models for children to help with phone addiction and screen time.”

Dr. Julika Novkova, Ph.D., Business Psychologist, Fractional Director Human Systems & Dynamics, Juls’ Psychology

” As a psychologist and a mother, I have found that strict “policing” of screen time often backfires because it triggers a threat to the child’s autonomy. During the holidays, the goal shouldn’t be Deprivation (taking the device away), but Displacement (crowding the device out with better options).”

Here is how to manage it without the power struggle:

1. “Don’t Create a Vacuum; Create Competition:
Psychologically, screens offer “cheap dopamine”—instant, low-effort reward. If you take the screen away and offer nothing but boredom (or long, overwhelming adults-only dinners), the child will resist. You must “out-compete” the screen.

“My Tip: We create a “Holiday Bucket List” with my children involving their real-world wishes—places to go, things to try. We respect their interests and ensure they aren’t trapped in endless table gatherings. When the “Real World” is more fun than the “Virtual World,” the transition is natural.

2. “The “Pre-Agreed Contract” (Autonomy):
Children resent rules imposed in the heat of the moment. Instead, have a calm family meeting before the festivities start to agree on “Sacred Spaces” (e.g., The Dinner Table is phone-free for everyone, parents included).

“My Tip: We designate specific “tech windows,” but with a caveat: the device should be used for Connection, not Isolation. We encourage them to message peers or video-call distant relatives, rather than getting stuck scrolling social media or playing solo games.

3. “Be the Architect, Not the Warden:
Children model what they see. If we want them to disconnect, we must model “being present.” I recommend a family “Digital Sunset”—where all devices go into a basket an hour before bed.

“My Tip: We prioritise connection rituals around breakfast and before dinner. Whether it is a board game, a visit to a gallery, or simply wandering outside for a family walk, these moments allow us to reconnect without the digital noise.

4. “Focus on “To Be” instead of “To Consume” :
Screen time is often passive consumption. The holidays are the perfect time to shift to “Being.”

“My Tip: We try to bridge their digital interests into physical reality. If they love Minecraft, can they build a gingerbread house? If they watch dance videos, can they choreograph a holiday dance for the family? The goal is to turn them from consumers of content into creators of memories.”