Smartphones offer fantastic ways for young people to stay connected and learn, but managing their use can be challenging. As a school, our goal is to partner with families to build healthy digital boundaries that protect young people’s mental health, safety, and sleep.

Key Safeguarding Tips for Home

• Keep Devices Out of Bedrooms at Night: Sleep deprivation heavily impacts learning and wellbeing. Establish a central charging spot in the home (such as the kitchen) where all family phones are parked overnight.

• Agree on Boundaries Together: Involve your child in setting rules around screen-free times (e.g., during meals or homework). Setting clear expectations around device ownership helps maintain accountability.

• Filter and Monitor: Set up parental controls at the router level and directly on the device (e.g., Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link) to restrict mature content and limit app usage times. 

• Focus on Communication Over Secrecy: Remind your child that they can come to you if they see something distressing online without fear of having their phone immediately confiscated.

Recommended Resources for Parents 

Useful webpage - Safeguarding Spotlight: Mind Yer Time (Healthy Screen & Social Media Habits)

Mind Yer Time is an official Scottish digital resource co-designed by children and young people from the Children’s Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament. Built specifically for children and teenagers across Scotland, it provides practical, non-judgmental advice on managing screen time, staying safe online, and protecting mental health.

Home - Mind Yer Time 

Useful webpage with helpful video links - To help families navigate the digital world together, we recommend exploring the video lessons and interactive content created by Digital Skills Education. Based in Scotland, this organisation produces family-friendly video resources tailored to young people. 

Videos - Digital Skills Education 

Podcast  - In this episode of The Healthy Screen Habits Podcast, the host breaks down practical ways families can handle device requests and set screen time boundaries without relying on constant arguments. Rather than using strict rules driven by fear, the episode focuses on building digital trust, teaching young people self-regulation skills, and establishing clear home boundaries like device-free bedtimes and screen-free meals. It is an easy-to-digest listen packed with actionable strategies for building healthy family tech habits. 

The Healthy Screen Habits Podcast