Six ways to reduce your family’s screen time in 2026

If you made New Year’s resolutions for 2026, it’s quite likely that they may have included the desire to reduce your screen time this year.

In 2025, the average daily mobile phone screen time for a British adult was 3 hours and 21 minutes. For the first time, this has overtaken the daily average TV watching time of 3 hours and 16 minutes. 

The average is higher for younger adults, with those aged 15–24 spending almost 5 hours a day on their mobile phones. For children aged 8–14, the average daily screen time is 2 hours and 59 minutes, with the most popular platforms being YouTube and Snapchat.

These numbers can come as a shock! And when you start to think of all the things that you and your family could do instead of spending hours staring at screens, it does make sense to try cutting back. 

Too much screen time for any age group can also lead to a long list of negative consequences, including anxiety, lack of concentration, sleep issues, poor posture, and even risk of obesity if the screen time is interfering with getting out and about and exercising.

There are currently no specific amounts of daily screen time recommended for children and teenagers. It has recently been reported that the government is considering a 2 hour daily limit for social media use, with access being blocked after the limit is reached. Other options, such as curfews at certain times are also being discussed.

However, within each family it’s important to achieve a balance of constructive screen time and digital literacy with both physical activity and sleep. So what can you do in your family in 2026 to achieve this balance?

In this article we take a look at six ways to reduce and rebalance your family’s screen time in 2026.

Set specific times to turn devices off

One of the most effective ways to reduce screen time is to agree on specific times when screens will be turned off. One obvious time is before bed. There are two good reasons for this:

• Absorbing too much screen content before sleeping can make your mind restless and prevent you from being able to relax enough to sleep well.
• The blue light emitted by phone screens can interfere with the production of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for your body’s circadian rhythm which regulates sleep. 

So it’s a good idea to switch off devices at least an hour before bedtime. But you may also want to consider another regular time during the week when all devices go off for a while, leaving you completely free to do something else altogether with no distractions.

Read on for more ideas on this one.

Keep eating time screen-free

It can also be really helpful to agree on a few family activities when screens are banned. An obvious one is when you are eating. In previous generations, eating together every day was an important family custom. But nowadays it’s more often a case of people eating at different times or, even if you are all eating at the same time, everyone is on their screens.

However, there are many benefits to families of eating together at a table. These can include improved relationships, better wellbeing, and even boosting children’s academic achievement. Just having the chance to catch up on how everyone is, talk about funny happenings from the day, share problems or worries can make a huge difference. And what you don’t want is screens interrupting this time together.

So make it a rule to not use screens at the table, whether this is in the home or out in a pub or restaurant. You should hopefully soon start to notice the positive benefits that this can bring.

Start some new family routines and activities

If you are trying to get everyone in the family to cut down screen time, it is only fair to introduce a few new things in its place. So actively look for new activities, hobbies or interests to take up that will keep everyone interested without their devices.

Some of these may be outdoor activities – weather and light permitting – such as going out for walks, watching or taking part in sporting events, cycling, or nature trails. Or you may prefer indoor activities such as arts and crafts, baking, learning a musical instrument, reading, and family game nights. 

The list is endless, but find one or two new things that your family will enjoy and that do not need a device. 

Also start to develop bedtime routines that are not dependent on any screen time. For example, long baths, story telling, hot chocolate. Anything that will help everyone to relax and not miss their screens.

Enjoy fun screen time together as a family

Another helpful tactic to reduce individual screen time is to enjoy screen time together as a family. One of the issues with too much screen time is not just the actual hours spent on the screen, but the sense of isolation it can bring. Teenagers tend to like to hide themselves away in their rooms to spend hours on a screen and can run the risk of becoming very introverted as a result.

So one option is to turn things around by using screen time as family bonding time instead. Find sources of entertainment that you can enjoy together, such as film clips, team games and online quizzes, and use a period of curated screen time as a positive benefit for all the family.

Also help your children to explore age-appropriate apps, games, and websites that are not only enjoyable but also educational and that can help them build their skills and knowledge in various ways rather than just spending time doom scrolling.

Balance screen time with physical activity

Also make it a rule in your household that any periods of screen time are balanced with physical activity. If anyone hunches over a screen for a long period of time they are going to put themselves at risk of headaches, eye strain and also aches and pains in the neck and back. 

So encourage everyone – yourself included – to get up and move at least every half hour. Stretch your legs, ideally get a breath of fresh air and also take the opportunity to have a drink of water to prevent dehydration. Taking regular breaks during screen time can really help to boost your mood and keep everything in perspective.

Make sure you stick to the rules yourself

Last but not least, make sure you model the family rules yourself, otherwise they will soon not be respected by anyone. It’s no good expecting everyone else to limit their screen time if you are not prepared to do the same.

Even if you think your screen time is more important – for example you may be catching up with work emails or paying bills – limiting your screen time is a great opportunity to reorganise the way you do things so that you have time for yourself and your family as well as fitting in the screen-based tasks you need to do.

So whilst you may start out thinking particularly of your children when making rules to reduce screen time, it may be that you end up unexpectedly benefitting from them yourself too.

We hope that this article has provided some helpful ideas about how to reduce your family’s screen time in 2026. 

If you need a financial boost to introduce any new activities into your family routine, be aware that Loans 2 Go offer a range of personal loans which may be able to help. Full details, including terms and conditions are available on our website. Borrowing is optional and may not be suitable for everyone, so always consider your circumstances and affordability before applying.

Also remember to visit us here again soon at Loans 2 Go for more hints and tips on family life and finances in 2026.