5 ways your kids will benefit from using the Screen Time Task feature

by Screen Time Team on 16/10/2017

What’s this?

It’s a feature that lets your child earn bonus time on their device in 3 easy steps:

  1. You set a task, any task, for your child, using your Screen Time app. Task details will appear on their device. 
  2. When the task is complete, said child can use their mobile device to notify you, with photographic evidence if they wish.
  3. Once you have received the notification, you can send your child bonus time on their device. This extra time is in addition to their Daily Time Limit, as pre-arranged by you.

 

The beauty of this feature is that the promise of extra screen time motivates kids to complete tasks they’d otherwise avoid like the plague.

“I love all the features on this app. Every time my son accomplishes a task we can reward him with time. He has not missed a single chore around the house. It’s amazing!” – Lillila L

“I like this app a lot. Instead of nagging to do chores [my son] does them without prompting and likes sending me a picture, or if I do ask, he doesn’t argue nearly as much –Nikki P  

We love this feature so much we’ve gone and dedicated a whole list to it. Check it out!

5 ways your kids will benefit from using the Screen Time Task feature

  1. Doing chores = learning valuable life lessons (*whispers* and a break for the grown-ups 👌🏽)

There are so many benefits that come from a child helping out with household chores (we feel another list coming on) It provides them with the insight they’ll need when they grow up and move into a place of their own; It gives them an appreciation of the work that goes into running a household therefore enhancing their empathy skills; It introduces the concept of earning rewards, a valuable life lesson. And of course it means your workload at home is reduced giving you more time to put your feet up for once. #WinningAtParenting

  1. Homework is completed on time

This needs little explanation. A child is rarely going to feel motivated to do homework because of the learning benefits. But throw them an offer of extra screen time and that motivation suddenly appears and that last minute dash to complete homework while eating breakfast on day of deadline is history. Which bring us neatly onto point 3..

  1. They may strive for better grades

If your kid has a test coming up, you could offer them extra screen time depending on how well they do. Or offer an hour for an A, 30 mins for a B, 15 mins for a C etc…

  1. Getting outdoors could become a priority

The main reason Screen Time was invented was to help kids achieve a healthy online/offline balance. There’s a lot to love about mobile devices. But there’s also a lot to love about fresh air! Get the kids outdoors and set a task to collect 10 examples of nature. Perhaps you could offer 5 minutes of extra screen time for every item discovered.

  1. Exercise

31% of kids in the US aged from 10-17 are obese according to stats. Get your kids moving and add ‘exercise’ to their task list. If they’re not naturally sporty, try getting them to dance or jump or skip. For every minute they move, every star jump they manage, they could receive the equivalent in bonus screen time.

So there you have it. What else will you add to your task list? We’d love to hear some more ideas. Tell us in the comments!

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2 comments

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  • Jeremy Nguyen - 29/11/2017 reply

    I use an Android phone, but my kids have ipads, and it doesn’t seem to work, I can’t seem to pause what’s on their ipads? Why is this?if this isn’t possible can I get a refund on my subscription?

    Oli - 29/11/2017 reply

    Sorry to hear that Jeremy, I’m afraid it’s really hard to know what the problem is without seeing your account. So can you contact our support team using [email protected] please? And they will try and get things fixed for you, if they can’t then we’re happy to give you a refund.

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