When parents practice good screen habits, it rubs off on the whole family | KQED

The antidote to this powerful pull of technology is two-fold. One, healthy screen habits, and two, the broader family elements that lead to greater well-being, connection, and sleep. We think of these elements like daily vitamin doses that keep everyone F-O-N-D of each other:

Family rituals: Teenagers grow more independent, but they continue to need the primary attachment to family. As kids get older, it’s important to protect the rituals of dinner together, movie night, Sunday morning hikes or throwing a baseball, bedtime routines, and so forth. Rituals are different from spontaneous times together, which are important too, because they are predictable and lead to a feeling of belonging and security. Too often we see families grow disconnected from each other while living under the same roof, and this is accentuated by electronic media. Research has found that kids who spent more time on non-screen activities, like in-person social interactions, sports or exercise, print media, and attending religious services, were less likely to have mental health issues. These real-world routines and rituals have clear benefits and help our kids grow a healthy sense of self, purpose, and connection to our family and community.

Open play: Play is an intrinsic human drive and it’s essential to the brain. Through play, kids learn to solve problems, stretch creativity, sustain attention, and feel joy, satisfaction, and accomplishment. The trouble is that play (of the non-digital variety) can easily disappear as kids get older. Most people know that little kids need to play, but as they mature, we respect this need less and less. Psychologist Stuart Brown has researched play for decades, finding many connections between play (at all ages) and our happiness and fulfillment as individuals, resilience, flexibility and connection to each other as social beings. And says, “Nothing lights up the brain like play,” says Brown. What constitutes play is that it’s done for enjoyment and exploration (not necessarily an organized sport). Building a model robot, finding random materials to make a hangout spot, climbing a hill and rolling down, or just riding bikes around the neighborhood are examples. “The opposite of play is not work,” says Brown. “It’s depression.” Play is a component of happiness and it leads our kids, teens, and us as adults to feel better regulated, connected, and healthier — it’s basically an antidepressant, and should be protected as kids get older. Play — especially outdoors —  improves our sleep. What’s amazing is how natural the drive is to play, so promoting it does not have to be fancy at all. All you need is the opportunity for play: time and space away from screens. When kids are together, without screens, they play together instinctively (as they get older, they just need a little warm up time). Don’t worry about the complaints of being bored or the resistance to getting outside. With time, the drive to play takes over.

Nature: Being in nature has been found to lower levels of stress hormones (which also helps us sleep), increase cognitive abilities, and improve mood. One study found that gardening for thirty minutes significantly reduced stress chemicals, even more than reading for the same amount of time. Another found that walking in nature reduced activity in the part of the brain responsible for rumination (continuously thinking about something that bothers you). Sunlight early in the day stimulates the brain to become alert, increases mood-improving neurochemicals, and deepens our sleep in the forthcoming night.

Downtime: If every moment of your day is accounted for, there is no opportunity to become bored, have a new idea or a spontaneous experience that isn’t pre-scripted. Downtime is easily squeezed by busy family life, but we find it helps everyone feel better when there’s some downtime built into each week. It sounds counterintuitive to schedule downtime, but that’s what most families need to do, and it works well.

The combination of healthy screen habits and F-O-N-D family elements improves sleep by feeding family connection, fun, and meaning, as well as keeping us in control of our devices, so we can enjoy their benefits, and then put them away.