Screens are everywhere in children’s lives. They use them at school and at home. They see screens used by their parents as they work on laptops, use phones to arrange playdates or look up outings or recipes on tablets.

Managing screen time can be difficult when – as recent guidelines published by the Department for Education make clear – it’s not just how much time children spend on screens, but what they’re doing with them that matters. This applies to parents’ use of screens, too. Here are five tips on how to use screens with and around children in a positive way.

1. Model healthy habits

“Technoference” affects many of us. It’s the distraction caused by technology during social interactions, such as the urge to respond to a phone alert while having an in-person conversation. When parents are distracted by their mobile devices, they may talk or physically engage less with their children. In fact, research has linked audible notifications, such as text message chimes, to poorer infant vocabulary.

If a parent is absorbed in a device, they also may respond more harshly to a child misbehaving.

Research on mothers and children found that screen distractions led to them responding less to their child which in turn reduced maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity is crucial for child development as it promotes secure attachment and enhances emotional regulation.

Try to think consciously about how often you use your own device. Silencing notifications when spending........

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