Kids

Screen Time Activities You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty About

by Kevyn Gohu
July 11, 2025

Although we’re trying to reduce screen time, here are some screen time activities you won’t feel guilty about

While screen time has its pros and cons, it’s become essential ever since the pandemic. With schools making submissions and even some of their classes digital, we can’t completely cut screens out of our kids’ lives. At some point, they’ll need screen time to talk to their friends, do their homework, and even hone their hobbies like digital art, 3D art modelling, or programming. So, here are some screen time activities parents don’t have to feel guilty about:

Reading E-Books

Printed books are nice to read, but they become a struggle to keep. Especially when we live in small spaces, keeping and organizing books can make the place look cluttered. It doesn’t help that dust and dirt sometimes get into the corners where the books are placed! So, reading e-books is one of those screen activities we shouldn’t feel too guilty about. They’re still reading; it’s just in a more compact space.

Besides, bookstores and even authors nowadays sell e-books online. All it takes is an e-wallet to buy them. For international purchases, they usually go through Amazon or PayPal.

Although we're trying to reduce screen time, here are some screen time activities you won't feel guilty about

Learning a language

In the Philippines, almost everyone is at least bilingual. And when couples from different cultures marry, they also have the responsibility to learn the language of that family. Luckily, there are apps like Duolingo that support that kind of learning. It also offers short activities that teach the language and can go from one minute to three minutes, depending on the type of activity. It’s how many of today’s kids learn languages we didn’t know even existed!

For college kids, language apps help them build on their foreign language electives if they want to become more fluent in it.

Drawing on the tablet

Especially if the tablet comes with a stylus and all, digital art encourages an eye for beauty and also fine motor skills. While some tablets still need a computer monitor, others already come with their own screen, which range from PHP 5,000 to PHP 20,000, depending on how sophisticated we believe our kids need it to be. Some teachers even use these digital tablets to help kids enhance their writing skills by using the stylus, since it’s a lot easier than chasing the paper whenever it falls off the table.

Programming and coding

As the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues, many parents feel that programming is one of the more financially stable careers, especially in the Financial Technology (FinTech) industry. So, a lot of parents enroll their kids in coding camps so their kids learn the language and how to build things. Some programmers and YouTubers have suggested using Linux to teach programming, as it gives more freedom over what goes into the computer and what goes out.

Besides, it’s easy to convince kids to get into programming and coding. Ask, “Want to make your own video game?” — that question usually gets them screaming, “YES!”

Photography

Gone are the days when films and Polaroids were the default way to capture photos. With phones having such a high-tech lens, it’s so much easier to get nice photos now. Most smartphones, particularly Apple, have an AI that adjusts the light and color for the photographer so the image stays at least 99% accurate to the real deal. So if we take the kids on a nature trip, let them take photos, and we can print them out after they get home to make a photobook of their trip!

Plus, Google has something called “Google Lens,” which helps people identify things based on what it sees from the camera. It needs the internet to use, though.

Movie Night

Every family bonds on movie night! After watching a one-hour show, there’s a lot to talk about. Like, what parts of the movie were nice? What parts need to be discussed? It helps build conversation after a long, hard day of either working or studying for school. The best part is, there are so many streaming platforms to choose from! Don’t forget the movie night snacks to make the activity more enjoyable!

More mindful and purposeful of screen time activities

While many studies have accused screen time of causing kids’ lack of attention, focus, and extreme tantrums, it’s also how we use it that matters. A screen can’t do anything on its own; we are the ones who press the buttons and go through the content. While kids know the mechanical movements, we’re more aware of what kind of things flash through the magical window of light.

So if ever we do need to have some screen time in the restaurant while waiting for food, it’s okay so long as it’s an activity that brings the family together in a conversation.