How to help pre-teens manage screen time
Top tips to support 11-14-year-olds
At the start of secondary school, your tween will likely want to make the most of increased freedom and independence. As such, how they use their devices changes.
This is a crucial time to talk to them about how to manage their screen time and give them strategies to find a healthy balance to support friendships and school.
Find tips and advice below to help them do just that.
Explore the guide below for support.
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What does research say about pre-teens’ screen time?
Children starting secondary school are more independent than those in primary or younger. Research from Ofcom found that tweens spend more time sending messages or making voice/video calls (98%), using social media apps or sites (93%) and posting their own content on video-sharing platforms (47%).
During the weekday, most children (38%) at this age spend 1-2 hours on devices (with 33% spending 3-4 hours). However, at the weekend, the majority of 11-13-year-olds spend 3-4 hours online per day. In our tracker survey of parents and children, 45% of 11-13-year-olds said they experienced the feeling of ‘spending too much time online.’
Some research from The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests links between excessive screen use and behavioural disorders in pre-teens, particularly conduct disorder (69%) and oppositional defiant disorder (46%). The more hours spent on screens, the higher these numbers. However, this doesn’t mean that every child who spends excessive time on screen will develop these disorders. If you have concerns, speak with your child’s GP.
54% of parents of 11-13s say they worry about the amount of time their child spends online.
76% of 12-15-year-olds play video games online (Ofcom). Around 3/4s of 11- and 12-year-olds played single-player games with around 6 in 10 playing multiplayer games.
According to Ofcom, 82% of 12-15-year-olds use apps or sites for social media and sending messages or making calls. These more social activities highlight a greater desire in pre-teens to connect with others.
35% of 12-15-year-olds who played video games said they played with or against people they didn’t know offline.
35% of 12-15-year-olds who played video games said they played with or against people they didn’t know offline.
Favourite apps for tweens
Our tracker survey asked pre-teens about the sites, platforms, apps or games they used. The following are most used for 11-14-year-olds in rough order of popularity:
What parents say about screen time at this age
In our tracker survey, 70% of parents of 11-13-year-olds said they were concerned about their child ‘spending too much time online or on connected devices.’ Additionally, only 51% of parents say their 12-15-year-olds have good screen time balance (Ofcom). This is lower than 16-17s (56%), 8-11s (68%), 5-7s (72%) and 3-4-year-olds (73%).
In most cases, pre-teens are starting new schools and getting new devices. At 13, they also reach the age requirement for many social media platforms. This sudden freedom could contribute to this feeling of poor screen time balance.
How does screen use affect pre-teens?
- Over half of 11-14-year-olds say that being online has a positive impact on their wellbeing — specifically feelings of comfort and happiness.
- Devices allow tweens to learn about the world and different types of people, helping them develop empathy and a wider worldview.
- Pre-teens can find support for a range of issues or questions they might have from identity to misinformation. This can help them develop confidence, critical thinking and other key skills.
- Connected devices and tech give plenty opportunity for creativity such as creating music, learning to crochet, writing and producing videos.
- Because this is an important age for developing friendships and socialising, devices give tweens the ability to keep in touch with family and friends. This is an added benefit for children who might move around a lot such as those in care.
- Using devices can help pre-teens develop new skills and passions in an accessible way. Learn about the skills kids need for the future.
- With increasing independence, some parents of tweens struggle to stay on top of their child’s device use and potential online safety issues.
- Pre-teens often use the online space for a wider range of reasons, including school work, socialising and downtime. This increased use can lead to greater risk of issues like cyberbullying, grooming and inappropriate content.
- Passive screen time like scrolling social media or watching TV can negatively impact tweens’ physical and developmental wellbeing. This might impact their physical health (such as with back pain or weight gain) as well as their sleep cycle, vision and behaviour.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine in America also outlines how extended device use might impact posture. Examples include looking down at devices or sitting in unsupported positions while on devices for extended periods. These habits can lead to back pain, neck problems and strain. As tweens grow, these habits could develop into arthritis or other issues requiring surgery.
What are the signs of poor screen time balance?
It’s important to look out for signs of too much screen time in tweens. These signs can include:
- Preferring screen time use over interacting with others or doing other activities; or, difficulties focusing on other activities.
- Feeling anxious or stressed about not having their device or while using their device. Or increased anxiety while using devices; they might feel like they need to use devices so they don’t miss out rather than because they want to.
- Interruptions to sleep due to late nights or blue light from screens before bed.
- Aggression or mood swings when it comes to enforced screen time breaks.
Remember that the above signs of too much screen time in pre-teens can also relate to other issues. It’s important to look at the whole picture and ask yourself if these issues could relate to something else. For any concerns, contact your child’s GP.
Learn more about tackling too much screen time.