Faith and Evidence for Healthier Screens at Home

Written By Charles Lea

By: Kathryn Italia, MD

When I think back on what has changed most in family life over the last twenty years, the development of smartphones and similar technology are at the top of the list. These tools have made it easier to stay in touch with loved ones, manage schedules, and access information instantly. However, they’ve also introduced new challenges for us.

I remember walking into a teenage checkup a few years ago and finding both the parent and the teen absorbed in their phones. I greeted them and waited. Only after I asked that devices be set aside did either look up. 

I notice the distraction created by technology in restaurants too, where screens keep kids quiet while eye contact and conversation fade. These examples reveal how screens can shape our relationships.

At times, our own family has struggled with screens. After dinner, my husband and I sometimes have to catch ourselves scrolling and need to redirect our attention to our kids. A few years ago, during a season of online school, we learned how easily digital safeguards can be bypassed and how essential it is to pair filters with good teaching and ongoing conversation. These experiences prompted us to strengthen boundaries while also talking more openly with our children about online safety and habits.

Screens themselves aren’t inherently harmful. Like many good gifts, though, they require moderation and thoughtful use. Hello Eema’s mission is to connect faith with evidence-based medicine to nurture whole health. When it comes to technology, the Church offers us a helpful path forward through temperance. This virtue helps us order our screen use in ways that protect sleep, learning, relationships, and even our souls.

What Our Faith Teaches About Screens

Temperance isn’t a word we hear often, but it’s surprisingly relevant to modern family life. St. Paul offers this wisdom in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“Everything is lawful for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful for me,” but I will not let myself be dominated by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

Similarly, the Catechism teaches:

“Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable.” (CCC 1809)

Taken together, these teachings remind us that even good things can become harmful in excess. Screens can be valuable tools, but they are not meant to dominate family life. Temperance helps us use technology wisely rather than allowing it to reorder our priorities.

Saint Carlo Acutis is an incredible model for us. He used technology to share Eucharistic miracles and point others to Christ. Yet he also practiced temperance with his own media use. For example, his mother notes that he would limit the time spent on gaming weekly. Carlo knew that real relationships came first. His example reminds us that digital media can serve God when guided by the virtue of temperance.

What the Evidence Tells Us

Over the last two decades, researchers have studied how screen use affects children and adolescents. While findings are sometimes complex, several consistent themes emerge.

Sleep disruption is the most reliable concern. Screens tend to push bedtimes later, and their light interferes with the body’s natural sleep signals. Poor sleep affects mood, attention, learning, behavior, and physical health, making this one of the clearest reasons for limits.

Screens often displace other essential activities. Time spent on a device is time not spent moving, reading, playing outside, talking face-to-face, praying, or resting. Screens crowd out these important aspects of daily life.

Early childhood is a sensitive period. Studies associate screen exposure with delays in language development in children under two. When media is used at this age, it should be rare, high-quality, and co-viewed, so conversation and real-world interaction remain the priority.

Physical health can be affected indirectly. Higher screen time has been linked to increased risk of obesity, likely through reduced physical activity and disrupted sleep.

Mental health findings are mixed. While many parents worry about screens and mood, research results are inconsistent. What is clear is that screens reliably cause problems when they interfere with sleep, relationships, physical activity, or social connection, especially for vulnerable children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) summarizes both benefits and risks and offers practical tools to help families build healthier habits (see resources below).

Putting Faith and Evidence Into Practice

How do we translate both faith and science into our daily family lives? I suggest starting with a few guiding principles. In-person relationships should always come first. Presence, sleep, prayer, movement, and shared work in the home deserve priority. Be proactive by setting expectations together before problems arise, and model the habits you hope to see since children learn as much from what we do as from what we say.

With these principles in mind, remember, God gives our children real talents that screens can help nurture when used well. One of our children started a small Etsy shop with an accompanying Instagram page to share Scripture and saint-quote art she designs. Another learned to code and programmed a robot using an iPad app. When used appropriately, technology can become a tool for creativity, learning, and service.

Three simple rules to start with

  1. Keep the table device-free, making it a space for conversation and prayer.

  2. Turn off screens at least 60 minutes before bedtime and charge devices outside bedrooms.

  3. Create or update an AAP Family Media Plan tailored to each child’s age and needs so expectations are clear and shared.

Age-Specific Guidance

Children under 18 months: Avoid screens except for occasional video chats with loved ones. 

Children 18-24 months: If media is used, keep it brief, choose high-quality content, and co-view so a child’s primary experiences remain play, conversation, and consistent sleep.

Ages two to five: Aim for no more than one hour per day of high-quality, co-viewed content. Keep background TV off, as it distracts from play and conversation. Protect outdoor time, imaginative play, and reading.

School-age children: Keep bedrooms device-free, finish homework before entertainment, use app and game ratings to guide choices, and include daily movement as part of the family routine.

Teens: Co-create screen curfews and device-free zones. Talk openly at age-appropriate levels about both benefits and real online risks, including exposure to sexual content and pressure to share images. Make sure screens don’t interfere with sleep, youth group, sports, family time, or prayer.

Safety Settings and Common Challenges

Content filters and safety tools can support your family’s values when used thoughtfully. Parental controls, privacy settings, and allow-lists help limit what’s available. In our home, children can only be contacted by approved contacts and can’t add new ones without permission. They have screen time limits in place and if more time is needed for homework or specific activities, they must ask.

Beyond settings, stay connected to your children’s digital lives. Watch or play together, ask open-ended questions, and teach skills like pausing before posting, recognizing persuasion tactics, and choosing virtue online. Keep phones out of bedrooms, and teach children how to report and block concerning content.

Common challenges are normal. When a child “needs” a screen to calm down, start with emotional coaching. Encourage slow breaths together, a hug, a quiet corner, or a sensory tool. If a screen is used, make it brief and the final layer. If homework is only accessible online, create structured work blocks with regular breaks and a firm end-of-day shutoff. When turn-off time causes conflict, give consistent warnings, use visual timers, and build a predictable transition routine such as snack, bath, story, and prayer.

Conclusion

In our home, we’re still learning and adjusting. We choose small steps and make changes when we feel like we’re drifting off course. Practicing temperance helps protect the real joys technology can offer while keeping our priorities ordered. We won’t be perfect, but with practice and grace, we can have peace in our home.

A simple prayer for our families: Lord Jesus, grant us wisdom and temperance as we guide our children online. Through the intercession of Saint Carlo Acutis, help us use technology for Your glory. Protect our homes with peace and keep our hearts anchored in You. Amen.

If you need tailored guidance or have specific questions, speak with your pediatric provider. Together, you can develop a plan that fits your child and your family’s values.

For more practical tips and spiritual encouragement, check out our first book: Nurturing Whole Health: You, Your Baby and God in the First Year. 

Hello Eema’s Mission

Hello Eema understands that true wellness encompasses both body and spirit. Drawing from our medical backgrounds and experiences as mothers, we offer a unique perspective where faith and healthcare converge. We believe that nurturing whole health begins with understanding our identity in Christ. This identity forms the foundation from which we can care for ourselves and our families physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

The name Eema comes from what Jesus calls Mary in The Chosen. It’s a tender reminder that we’re all beloved daughters of God, following in our Heavenly Mother’s footsteps. “Hello” is our greeting of recognition and hope: You are seen and not alone.

Join us at Hello Eema and know we’re honored to walk with you.

Nurturing Whole Health…Uniting faith and clinical wisdom to help moms confidently care for God’s children. 


Resources

Charles Lea
Next

5 Ways the Family Walk Nurtures Whole Health