Using technology in a healthy way
Digital Wellness aims to promote healthy habits essential to using technology in ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Ways to improve our digital wellness
- Stay active – Children and youth aged 5 to 17 years old should get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day.
- Limit recreational screen time (not school related) to no more than 2 hours per day.
- Get enough sleep – Children ages 5–13 years old need 9–11 hours of sleep/night to feel refreshed while children 14–17 years old need 8-10 hours of sleep/night as part of a healthy lifestyle.
- Build healthy relationships – It’s important that kids learn to engage with others and understand diverse perspectives and identities; empathize with others, listen and be respectful.
- Discuss feelings about online activity – Kids are encouraged to reach out to a parent or trusted adult to discuss online activity and let them know if something is upsetting them.
Prescription: Nature
It is commonly believed that nature has a positive effect on health and leads to improvements in overall mental health, self-esteem, ability to handle stress and resiliency.
Research has found that spending two hours or more in nature per week can improve overall health and well-being.
Here are some ideas:
- Unplug from technology and take a break from the screen
- Go for a walk in a park or forest
- Lay down in the grass and watch the clouds, listen to the sounds of nature
Getting help
Kids Help Phone provides free, 24/7 confidential support for your mental health and well-being.
Help is available online by visiting https://kidshelp-phone.ca/ or by calling 1-800-668-6868 OR texting 686868
Resources:
Four tips for managing your kids’ screen time
Are Canadian children getting enough sleep?
A Prescription for Nature