Congratulations to all who have received their COVID-19 vaccines. We are pleased that we are able to schedule Vision Therapy in the office again although remote VT is still available as needed. We continue to take the recommended precautions to protect your health and ours.

(781) 272-2187

Button Text

Home Article July Newsletter: Screen Time Balance During Summer Break

Article

Newsletters

July Newsletter: Screen Time Balance During Summer Break

Balancing Screen Time During Your Child's Summer Break

Summer break offers the perfect chance to relax and enjoy a well-deserved break from school. Unfortunately, too much unstructured free time may mean your children pass their days watching videos or gaming instead of spending time outdoors. Finding the right balance between screens and traditional summer activities protects your child's physical health, emotional well-being, and vision.

The Negative Impacts of Too Much Screen Time

Although phones, TV, tablets, laptops, and gaming consoles keep your child entertained and offer educational and socialization benefits, screen time has a few drawbacks. Too much screen time can be a factor in:

Physical Fitness. Physical activity is essential for strong bones and muscles. Children may not receive the exercise needed for normal growth and development when they sit in front of screens for hours. Screen time also increases the risk of childhood obesity. Children who spend more than two hours per day in front of screen have an elevated risk of obesity, according to an analysis published in Frontiers in Endocrinology in 2026.
Social and Emotional Development. Excessive screen time may mean kids lack important social and emotional skills that can only be gained by creative play and face-to-face interactions with friends.
Sleep. Blue light emitted by screens can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep cycle. Children who use screens close to bedtime may have trouble sleeping.
Vision. Children who frequently use digital devices can develop digital eye strain, a condition that causes blurry vision, dry eyes, headaches, and tight, painful muscles in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. Spending too much time indoors may increase the risk of myopia (nearsightedness), a refractive vision error that makes objects in the distance look blurry. According to a review published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2023, spending more than 40 minutes per day outdoors can reduce the risk of myopia in children.

Summer Screen Usage Tips

Although it's not realistic to completely eliminate screen time, these tips will help you create a healthy balance:

Make a Schedule. Limit screen time to specific times of the day. Include plenty of activities to keep kids busy when they're not using screens, such as backyard play sessions or visits to the pool. Consider making one day of the week screen-free, and plan activities you and your children can do together.
Encourage Outdoor Time. Playing outdoors offer opportunities for exercise and socialization. Schedule play sessions with friends for younger children, and encourage teens to get together with friends for sports or outdoor activities. Outdoor time doesn't have to be structured. Playing a game of chase or going for a walk or bike ride offer excellent ways to enjoy the outdoors.
Create Specific No-Screen Zones and Times. Decide when and where your children can use screens. For example, you may decide that screens can't be used during meals, or might ban screens from your kids' bedrooms in the evening.
Offer Breaks. Thirty-minute breaks give your child's eyes a rest and should be scheduled every one or two hours, depending on your son or daughter's age. When using screens, the 20-20-20 rule helps prevent digital eye strain symptoms. Tell your kids to look at something about 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds after using a screen for 20 minutes. In addition to following the 20-20-20 rule, encourage your children to blink often to keep their eyes moist and comfortable.
Model Good Behavior. Your children are less likely to improve their screen usage behavior if you spend most of your time using screens. When you demonstrate healthy boundaries, they may be more likely to accept rules regarding screen usage.

Does your child struggle with digital eye strain symptoms despite following screen usage tips? A vision problem may be to blame. A subtle eye alignment issue, lazy eye, or a focusing problem increases your child's risk for digital eye strain. Vision therapy offers an excellent option to improve and manage many vision conditions. Vision therapy strengthens important visual skills and enhances brain-eye coordination. Get in touch with our office to make an appointment with the vision therapist.

Sources:

Frontiers in Endocrinology: The Association of Screen Time with Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Status: A Mediation Analysis of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, 1/12/2026

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1719372/full

Cureus: Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management, 6/18/2023

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10353947/

American Academy of Ophthalmology: Screen Use for Kids, 7/19/2024

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/screen-use-kids

American Academy of Pediatrics: Give Your Child's Eyes a Screen-Time Break: Here's Why, 2/29/2024

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/eyes/Pages/What-Too-Much-Screen-Time-Does-to-Your-Childs-Eyes.aspx

Journal of Clinical Medicine: Risk Factors for Myopia: A Review, 9/19/2023

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10532298/

American Optometric Association: Computer Vision Syndrome

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome