This post is sponsored by Google, but all opinions are my own, as always.
You guys, screen time isn’t bad. I’ve written about screen time several times on this blog and I want to reiterate we love screen time. We love watching cute cartoons and using fun learning apps. I’m a photographer who is always learning, and Youtube is full of fun artistic inspiration from all over the world. Matthew is a firefighter, it’s so important for him to watch continuing education videos for safety. When the curious toddlers ask us questions that we don’t know how to answer, like why does Saturn have rings – we hop on our tablets and explore space together. Piper is following in my artistic footprints (I’m so proud), and she is teaching herself new art styles every week on her tablet.
What is screen time? It’s actually defined by Oxford dictionary now, we are talking about definition 2.
Screen Time
noun
- the time allotted to or occupied by a particular subject, actor, etc., on film or television.
“these characters deserve more screen time” - time spent using a device such as a computer, television, or games console
2020 is approaching fast, in fact it’s days away. My 2020 goals include health and wellness. Part of wellness in 2020 is our digital wellbeing, our need to unplug and focus on life offline. As a parent, I want to reconnect with the simple parts of life with my sweet family and live in the now more. Honestly my phone is distracting to me. It’s a wonderful tool, but I need to learn balance. I think we all do. So I’m happy to be partnering with Google on their new #DigitalWellbeingResolutions Campaign! Google knows how technology is important to our quality of life, but it can be overwhelming. Their message is wonderful, they believe technology should improve your life but not distract from it. I kind of love this.
Wellbeing.Google is the new way to fine-tune your digital life and find balance with your real life! The Digital Wellbeing app on Android is so helpful with figuring out your tech habits and it’s helping me self-monitor my behaviors. I’m most impressed with their tools to help you unplug. I’m chasing children all day and find myself trying to cram so much work into the wee hours. I use Wind Down to remind me that rest matters. I’m also an Instagram influencer, so I spend too much time on that application. I cannot tell you how many times that app has distracted me from meeting important deadlines, Google has introduced another tool called Focus mode which pauses the distracting apps on my phone, like Instagram and Pinterest. But maybe you are a gamer or love watching Youtube makeup tutorials, it could help you not get distracted by these too!
Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative also has a Family Guide, we need to be talking about technology as a family. It’s here and it’s a part of our day to day life. We’ve been talking about our family #DigitalWellbeingResolutions and have set up Family Link on Piper’s phone. Family Link is amazing y’all, it’s such an easy way to monitor your child’s online life and make sure she has the balance that kids need.
I feel like this has been a Ted Talk and I should thank you guys for coming, but I’m really passionate about this subject and I’m happy Google is taking a stand on healthy technology habits and happy families. What are your #DigitalWellbeingResolutions?
