Prince William Admits He and Kate Struggle With ‘Screen Time’ For Their Kids, Too
It might be difficult to believe Prince William and wife Kate have many of the same parenting issues non-royals deal with, but they’ve recently admitted to struggling with something moms and dads everywhere can relate to: screen time.
Ever since computers, game stations, and streaming devices became popular to have in our homes, parents have had to battle with how much time was too much time for their kids with each one — especially when it comes to the internet. The Daily Express reports that the royal couple spoke out about their own family while attending events for William’s Taskforce on the Prevention of Cyberbullying in November 2018. The whole initiative is part of the royal family’s focus on treating mental health issues, especially in youth.
According to William, he and Kate “still haven’t worked out what the right balance is for online time,” when it comes to young George and Charlotte (Louis is likely still too young for any screen time at all). He elaborated, “Our generation, the older generation — the parent generation — we’re completely left at, ‘How do we deal with this? Where do we go to? Where do you learn about how to look after your children’s digital world?’”
MedlinePlus claims that too much screen time for children can lead to problems like difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, and gaining too much weight. They recommend keeping children under the age of two away from screen time altogether, then limiting that time to one or two hours a day for children older than two. The website also claims that “videos aimed at very young children do not improve their development.”
As for William and Kate, the father-of-three said, “We’re going to have that discussion with our family: How on earth are we going to police and have family time when the phones are all put down and you’re offline? We’re all so connected now that we have to say, for instance, ‘We’re eating now.’”
Of course, any parent can tell you how difficult it is to convince their children to log off and explore the real world more often. The next time you find yourself in a debate with the kids in your life over their screen time, just remember you have a couple of royals on your side.
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