Lesson video

Hello, I'm Miss Kumar, and I'm really pleased that you've chosen to learn with me today.

Today's lesson is called "Getting the right kind of screen time," and it's taken from our unit Media Influence: How do I keep myself safe online? Now, in today's lesson, there might be some parts that you find a little bit upsetting or worrying.

We really recommend that you do this lesson with a trusted adult.

If at any point you do find anything upsetting or worrying, please stop the video and speak to a trusted adult.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can explain how to make healthy choices around screen time.

Before we start any learning, let's just remind ourselves of some important ground rules.

Laura reminds us to listen to others.

It's really important that we have our best listening ears on and that we take turns to speak.

Jacob reminds us, no judgement.

This should be a safe space for us to talk about things and we mustn't laugh at anyone for their ideas.

Andeep reminds us to respect privacy.

It's okay to share things in this lesson, but we shouldn't really talk about anything personal about someone else outside of class.

And finally, Izzy says that it's okay for us to choose our own level of participation.

If we don't want to say something, that's absolutely fine.

Throughout today's lesson, you'll see that there are some words in bold black font.

These are what we call keywords.

Before we start the lesson, let's take a quick look at today's keywords and what they mean.

Screen time.

Screen time is the amount of time that we spend using digital devices, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Creative.

Being creative means using your imagination to come up with new ideas, art, or solutions to problems. Wellbeing.

Wellbeing is how healthy we feel in our mind and body.

And finally, mindful.

Mindful is being aware of what's happening around you and how that's making you feel.

Today's lesson is split into three parts.

Let's start with part one, what are the pros and cons of screen time? Screens are all around us.

I wonder, how many of these devices have you seen or used? A tablet.

A games console.

A smartphone.

A laptop or computer.

Time for our first check for understanding.

Can you name these devices, A, B, and C? You can pause the video to have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answers are, A is a tablet, B is a smartphone, and C is a games console.

Well done if you got those correct.

Screen time is the amount of time that we spend using any digital device that has a screen.

Now, screen time can include anything online.

It could be playing games, or it could even be searching for information when you need help with your homework.

Time for another quick check for understanding.

I wonder if you can work out what word is missing.

Complete the sentence below with the missing word.

Screen time is the amount of blank that we spend using digital devices.

You can pause the video to have a little think and then press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is time.

Well done if you got that correct.

We can think about screen time as flags.

Throughout the lesson today, anytime you see a green flag, this is showing you a positive or good use of screen time.

However, anytime that you see a red flag, this is showing you a negative or not so good use of screen time.

There are lots of positive reasons or what we call pros for using screens.

For some people, it might help them to relax and wind down.

Jacob says, "I enjoy watching funny videos online when I get home after school." We can learn new knowledge and skills online.

Izzy says, "I learned how to do a cool skateboard trick from a video online." We can be creative online.

Andeep says, "I designed my own house in a game online.

That takes a lot of creativity." We can also keep in touch with family and friends online, but remember, we must always ask a trusted adult before we do so.

Laura says, "I have an online video call with my cousins every weekend." Time for another check for understanding.

Some people might use screens to relax and wind down.

Is that true or is that false? You can pause the video to have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is true.

Well done if you got that correct.

Here's another check for understanding.

True or false, some people might use screens to keep in touch with family and friends.

You can pause the video to have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is true, but don't forget, you must always ask a trusted adult before you contact anyone.

Well done if you got that correct.

Although lots of us might like to use our screens, it's really important not to forget to take regular breaks.

If we don't get the balance right, then screen time can become a negative or red flag thing.

Just some of the negatives or what we call cons of screen time include the following.

Andeep says, "You might find it tricky to get to sleep at night," which means that you'll wake up feeling tired and groggy.

Sam reminds us, "You might feel that you need a digital device, because you are worried about missing out." Sophia says, "You might spend more time on digital devices than you do with family or friends," which could make you feel lonely in the long run.

And Lucas says, "You might get cross when someone tells you to take a break from a digital device." Time for another check for understanding.

One of the negatives or cons of screen time is, A, keeping in touch with family and friends.

B, learning new knowledge and skills, or C, finding it tricky to get to sleep at night.

Remember, you can pause the video, have a little think, and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is C.

Well done if you got that right.

That brings us to the first task for today's lesson, Task A.

In front of you, you've got five statements and five flags.

For each statement, your job is to colour in the flag to show if it is a pro or green flag statement or a con or red flag statement.

Pros are positive impacts of screen time, so good impacts of screen time and they should be coloured in green.

And cons are negative impacts of screen time.

Anything negative or not so good should be coloured in red.

These are the statements.

"Keep in touch with family and friends." Is that a good use of screen time or a bad use of screen time? Good will be coloured in green, bad will be coloured in red.

The next statement says, "Get cross when told to take a screen break." Statement in the middle says, "Find it tricky to sleep at night." The bottom left statement says, "Spend more time on digital devices than with family and friends." And the last statement on the bottom right says, "Learn new knowledge and skills." Remember, you can pause the video and take as much time as you need.

Just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? Let's take a look at the answers together.

The green flag statements are, "Keep in touch with family and friends," "Learn new knowledge and skills." The red flag statements are, "Get cross when told to take a screen break," "Find it tricky to sleep at night," and "Spend more time on digital devices than with family and friends." Well done if you've got the answer correct.

That brings us to part two of today's lesson.

What are the Digital 5 a Day? Wellbeing is how healthy we feel in our mind and body.

You can sort of see that in the word wellbeing.

It means being well.

Our wellbeing is very important.

There are lots of things that can help our wellbeing.

Some of those things include getting enough sleep, spending time with family and friends, exercising regularly, getting fresh air as often as possible, eating healthily and making sure we drink plenty of water, and finally, doing relaxing hobbies.

Time for another check for understanding.

Which of these can help our wellbeing? Is it A, exercising regularly? Is it B, eating unhealthily? Or is it C, getting fresh air often? Remember you can pause the video, have a little think, and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? I hope that you got the answers A and C.

Well done if you got that correct.

For some people, a relaxing hobby is spending time on their screens and this is okay, as long as it's done healthily.

We must make sure that screen time doesn't get in the way of us doing other important things like exercise or sleeping.

To help us with our wellbeing, especially when we're on screens, we can think about the Digital 5 a Day.

On the screen, hopefully you can see a wheel which represents the Digital 5 a Day.

There are five parts to that wheel.

The parts are creative, connect, giving, active, and mindful, and we are just going to spend some time in the lesson looking at each one of those and what they mean.

Number one, be creative.

This means use your screen time to learn new skills.

For example, learn a new recipe or how to play an instrument, instead of just watching funny videos.

That's a much more creative use of screen time.

Number two, connect.

We can use our screens to connect with trusted people online, but at the same time, we mustn't forget to connect with people around us away from screens.

Also, I must remind you that we should only connect with people online that are trusted and only if we have the permission of our trusted adults first.

You could try taking a break from your screens to play a board game with your family or friends.

That's a really lovely way to connect with people offline or away from screens.

Quick check for understanding now.

Which of these is using screen time to be creative? Andeep says, "I like watching funny videos of cats." Izzy says, "I've learned how to play an instrument online." You can pause the video to have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? Who do you think is using their screen time to be more creative? The answer of course is Izzy, so this is a green flag for us, a good use of screen time.

Izzy is using her screen time to be creative.

She's used her screen time to learn a new skill.

Well done if you got that correct.

Moving back to the Digital 5 a Day.

We've already looked at being creative and connecting.

Let's look at giving.

Giving your time to people around you is just as important as giving your time to people online.

For example, why not ask your family or friends about how their day was or you could even offer to help with some household chores.

You could perhaps lay the table for dinner.

Number four, active.

It's really important to take regular breaks from screens and try to do something active each day, something that gets your body moving.

For example, maybe you could kick a ball around the garden or put on some music and just dance.

And finally, number five of our Digital 5 a Day is mindful.

Be mindful about how you are feeling when you are using your screen and make a change if you need to.

For example, if your eyes are feeling sore, tired, or hurting, that's your body's way of telling you that it might be time for a break from your screen.

Time for another check for understanding.

Which of these is being mindful and active? Laura says, "I've been playing on my laptop for three hours.

My eyes hurt, but I have to finish this game!" Jacob says, "I was playing on my tablet, but my back felt sore.

I stopped to play football for a bit." Feel free to pause the video.

You can have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? I hope that you realise the answer is Jacob.

Jacob is being mindful and he's being active.

He could feel that his back was sore, so he's taking a break by being active and playing little bit of football.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

That brings us to Task B, our second task for this lesson.

I'd like you to see if you can match each word from our Digital 5 a Day to the correct example.

The words from our Digital 5 a Day are on the left.

You've got creative, connect, giving, active, and mindful, and on the right you've got some examples of some of those things.

Asking if you can help around the home.

Taking breaks from screens when your body says.

Playing a board game with family or friends.

Using screen time to learn an instrument.

And kicking a ball around the garden or dancing.

Feel free to pause the video, have a little think and take as much time as you need and then when you're ready to see the answers, just press play.

How did you get on? Let's see what the answers should be.

Creative matches with using screen time to learn an instrument.

Connect matches with playing a board game with family or friends.

Giving matches with asking if you can help around the home.

Active matches with kicking a ball around the garden or dancing.

And mindful matches with taking breaks from screens when your body says.

Well done if you got the answers correct.

That brings us to part three of our lesson.

How can I plan my week online? Screen time can be enjoyed, but it must be a part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

If we don't get the balance right, then screen time could cause poor sleep, headaches, tired eyes, mood changes, so one minute you might feel happy and the next minute you might feel sad, and even poor concentration.

Time for a quick check for understanding.

If we don't get the balance right, screen time could cause, A, better concentration.

B, headaches, C, tired eyes.

Remember, you can pause the video, have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answers are B and C.

Well done if you got that correct.

Now there's no set rule for how much screen time a person should have.

Each person is different, and it's about getting the balance that's right for you.

However, our trusted adults can help us with that.

They can set healthy screen time limits on our devices, but we must make sure that once those limits are in place, we do our best to respect those and stick to them.

Time for another check for understanding.

True or false.

Each person should have the same screen time.

You can pause the video to have a little think and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is false.

I wonder if you can remember why.

Well, there is no set rule for how much screen time someone should have, because each person is different and it's about getting the balance that's right for you.

Remember, our trusted adults can help to set healthy screen time limits and we must respect those once they're in place.

Well done if you've got the answer correct.

It's really important that you make sure to look out for some of the signs that are telling you that it's time to take a break from your screen.

You might have tired eyes.

Perhaps you've got a headache.

The device might feel really hot.

If a device is hot, it's because it's been running for too long.

The screen might start to look a little bit blurry.

That's because your eyes are tired.

You might also find that lots of time has passed by.

If you went onto a screen while it was light outside and now it's really, really dark, that might be a sign that you've been on there too long.

Time for another check for understanding.

Some of the signs telling you to take a break from your screen might include, A, tired eyes and a headache.

B, the device feels cool, C, the screen looks blurred.

Remember, you can pause the video to have a little think and then when you think you're ready for the answers, just press play.

How did you get on? The answers are A and C.

Well done if you got that correct.

When it comes to planning your week online, you might find it helpful to have a timetable of activities.

It's really important though that when you create this timetable of activities that they're not all to do with screen time.

We need to have screen-free activities as well.

Here's an example of a timetable that I've made.

Along the top, you can see I've got Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I haven't included Saturday and Sunday because for lots of us, the weekends tend to be a little bit different.

Along the left hand side I've got the times.

After school is roughly around 3:30 to 4:00 PM, so my timetable starts from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and then 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, which is bedtime.

Monday to Friday between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM, I've put dinner time and it's usually a good idea not to have screens while we eat our dinner, so let's take a look at some of the activities that I've got.

Monday I've suggested play football, followed by board games, and then after dinner, reading before going to bed.

Reading is a really mindful and calming activity, which helps us to get off to sleep.

On Tuesday, we've got baking followed by screen time.

And then after dinner, kids yoga and bed.

Again, yoga is a nice, relaxing, and mindful thing to do to get us into the right mood to go to sleep.

Wednesday, we've got arts and crafts followed by screen time and then after dinner we've got reading and bed.

Thursday, now you might not have a pet, so you could just go for a walk with family, but if you did have a dog, it might be a nice thing to walk the dog.

After that, I've got some screen time, followed by dinner, and then after dinner, kids yoga and bed.

And then Friday.

If you asked your trusted adult, you might be able to have a friend over to play.

After that, you could have some screen time and then after dinner, perhaps a board game to connect with family and then bed.

I wonder if you noticed one of the days has no screen time.

Take a look.

Well done if you spotted that Monday has no screen time at all, and that's because the advice is we should try and have one screen-free day a week.

Let's have a look at the check for understanding.

True or false.

Weekly activities should include screen-free activities.

Feel free to pause the video, have a little think, and then just press play when you're ready to move on.

How did you get on? The answer is true.

Well done if you got that correct.

That brings us to the third and final task of today's lesson, Task C.

I wonder if you can help Laura to get the balance right.

I'd like you to try and complete the timetable with some screen-free activities that she can do after school.

Now remember, screen-free activities are those activities that do not need a screen or device.

I've tried to give you some help by giving you some activities at the bottom of the page.

Now, some of these activities are screen-free, others of them will need a screen, and it's your job to work out which one is which.

So we've got colour, play in the garden, watch TV, play board games, watch a film, read a book, junk model, and bake.

Pause the video.

Take as long as you need to try and fill out this timetable, and then when you think you are ready to see the answers, just press play.

How did you get on? That was a tricky task.

Let's have a look at the answers together.

Your timetable might look slightly different to mine and that's absolutely fine as long as you've only used screen-free activities.

The screen-free activities are circled in blue, colour, play in the garden, play board games, read a book, junk model, and bake.

You might also notice that on Wednesday I've got two screen-free activities in the timetable.

That's because Wednesday is a screen-free day.

Well done if you've got your answers correct.

You've reached the end of the lesson, but before we finish, let's take a quick look at today's lesson summary.

Lots of people use screens to relax and unwind, play games, watch videos, or message family or friends.

The Digital 5 a Day can help us to use screens sensibly and make sure that they are a part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Being creative online, connecting with people away from screens, and giving your time to people offline are important ways to balance screen time.

It's also important to be active away from screens and mindful of when there are signs telling you to take a break from a digital device.

Well done on working so hard today.

You've done incredibly well, and I hope that you've got lots of helpful ideas for how to get the balance right if and when you are on screens.

If anything in today's lesson has worried you or you want to find out more, please make sure that you talk to a trusted adult.

Together with your trusted adult, you can find more information on the following websites, Childline, this is a website and phone line which is able to offer confidential advice and support.

CEOP, CEOP helps to protect children from online abuse and exploitation.

Internet Matters, this teaches children and parents how to stay safe and happy online while using the internet.