Not All Screen Time Is Equal: Why Context Matters More Than the Hours

As an online teacher, parents sometimes wonder why they would pay for their child to take part in an online class when they are trying to reduce screen time. It is a reasonable question. Most of us are used to hearing that screen time is something to limit or cut back on.

But the more I teach, and the more I speak to young people about their goals, the more I realise that talking about screen time as one single category is far too vague to be useful.

Research into digital wellbeing supports this too. What matters is not only how long we spend on screens, but what we are actually doing while we are there.

This is where thinking about screen time as a traffic-light system becomes helpful.

---

Green-flag screen time

This is screen use that involves connection, creativity, learning, purpose or growth.

Examples include reading on a Kindle, FaceTiming a friend, creating digital art, making an animation, editing a short film, and taking part in an online class where you are genuinely interacting and thinking.

It is screen time, yes. But it is not passive. You come away from it feeling more full than emptied out.

---

Amber-flag screen time

This area is mixed and depends heavily on how you use it. For example, gaming can sit anywhere between green and red depending on the game, your intention, your energy and the social context.

If you are designing, building, solving problems or connecting safely with friends in games like Minecraft or Roblox, that leans towards green because you are using your brain and you reach natural saturation. If you are zoning out to something repetitive and low input, that leans towards red.

---

Red-flag screen time

This is passive and endless. Doom scrolling. Autoplay feeds. Content you are not choosing intentionally. This type is designed to keep you there. Some games and apps use the same reward mechanisms we see in gambling. You get the exact same urge of "just one more try" or "one more level." It becomes harder to pull away and you rarely reach saturation naturally.

---

The Saturation Test

One simple way to tell where something sits is to notice whether it comes to a natural end. When you are creating something, or having a meaningful conversation, you eventually reach a point where you feel finished. Passive scrolling rarely gives you that feeling. It drips in endlessly and the line between enjoyment and compulsion becomes blurry.

---

Like Food, It Is About Balance

Just like food, not everything has to be nutritious to still have a place. Sometimes you just want the chocolate cake. There is nothing wrong with having the occasional scroll when you are tired and your brain needs a break. The aim here is not to make every moment productive. The aim is to notice what kind of screen time you are choosing most often and what result it leaves you with.

---

Rebalancing, Not Restricting

So maybe instead of focusing on reducing screen time overall, it is more helpful to rebalance it. Add more of the green. Notice when the red sneaks in too often. And recognise that some screen time genuinely supports wellbeing, confidence, friendships, creativity and learning.

This is why I see my online classes as green-category screen time. They are not about zoning out. They are about connection, creativity and social learning. And that truly matters more than the raw hours on a screen.

If you are interested in exploring this idea further, my Finch self-care class works with students on building more balanced digital habits of their own while keeping it realistic and kind.