If you’re a parent, you may sometimes wonder what your child is seeing, hearing, and learning from their time online. With so much digital content available, it can be difficult to know exactly how online experiences are affecting your child.
The good news is that technology and online interactions can offer valuable opportunities for children to learn and grow. Depending on how they are used, digital experiences can help children practice communication, build decision-making skills, explore new ideas, and develop other important skills.
At the same time, children need guidance from parents and caregivers to help them make healthy choices online. With the right support and supervision, families can help children get the most benefit from their digital experiences while reducing the risk of potential harm.
Healthy Media Habits
Creating a family media plan can help children and teens develop healthy digital habits. One of the simplest—and often most enjoyable—ways to support healthy media use is to spend some of that time together.
Co-viewing media with your child gives you a chance to see what they are watching, playing, or experiencing online. It can also create natural opportunities to talk about difficult topics, answer questions, and help your child think through what they see and do online.
Most importantly, sharing media experiences can strengthen your connection with your child. By being involved in their digital world, you can help them learn to navigate online spaces safely, thoughtfully, and positively.
Co-Viewing
Co-viewing and co-playing simply mean spending time with your child while they enjoy the digital content they like. It gives you a chance to learn more about the apps, games, shows, music, and other online experiences that are part of your child’s world.
You might ask your child if you can join them for:
- A family movie night
- A gaming session
- Watching YouTube or TikTok together
- Exploring an app or website
- Listening to music, podcasts, or other audio content
Spending time together online can also help you notice when something may need a conversation. If you see or hear something that concerns you, try to bring it up calmly and thoughtfully.
Co-viewing and co-playing are not about policing everything your child does online. Instead, they are opportunities to be curious, build trust, and better understand your child’s digital experiences.
Pros & Cons
When spending time online with your child, it can help to take a balanced approach. Digital technology is now a regular part of everyday life, and online experiences can have both benefits and drawbacks. Rather than focusing only on the risks of screen time, parents can also look for ways digital media can support learning, development, creativity, and play.
Depending on the content and how it is used, online experiences may help younger children:
- Learn new words and understand how they are used
- Sing along, move, or respond to prompts from characters
- See positive examples of cooperation, kindness, and respect
- Practice recognizing letters and numbers
- Explore, investigate, solve problems, and engage in active play
For tweens and teens, online experiences can also support social connections, teamwork, creativity, academic skills, and other interests.
Of course, more screen time is not always better, and children still need healthy boundaries around digital media. Parents should continue to pay attention to what their children are doing online, how much time they spend on screens, and how media use fits into their overall routines.
Co-viewing and co-playing can help you make the most of the positive opportunities digital media can offer. By spending time in your child’s digital world, you can better understand their experiences and create natural opportunities to offer guidance, ask questions, and help them make healthy choices online.
10 Shared Screen Time Tips
Ask before joining in.
Especially with school-age children, it’s helpful to ask permission before entering their digital world. Older children may be used to watching, listening, or playing on their own, so asking to join them can make the experience feel more comfortable.
Try saying: “Hey, that looks fun! Do you mind if I join you for a little while?”
Follow your child’s interests.
Show genuine curiosity about what your child enjoys. Let them know you are interested in learning about their favorite games, shows, music, and online activities—not judging or policing them. When children feel that you are truly interested in their world, they may be more comfortable inviting you in.
Take time to observe.
Conversation is an important part of co-viewing and co-playing, but you don’t need to talk constantly. Pay attention to your child’s facial expressions, body language, and reactions as they watch or play. These can give you valuable insight into how your child is experiencing the content.
Enjoy the time together.
Co-viewing can create opportunities for closeness and connection. If your child is comfortable with it, snuggle together on the couch or share a favorite chair while you watch or play.
Ask open-ended questions.
Instead of questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no,” invite your child to share more about what they think and enjoy.
Try asking:
- “Tell me more about this character.”
- “How did you find this game?”
- “What’s your favorite part?”
Pause before reacting.
If something you see or hear concerns you, try not to immediately criticize or react strongly. Make a mental note and look for a better time to talk about it later. This can help keep your child from feeling judged or becoming defensive.
However, if you see something that needs to be addressed immediately—such as bullying or another serious safety concern—pause the activity and talk with your child right away.
Connect digital experiences to the real world.
Look for opportunities to connect what your child is watching or doing online with their other interests and experiences. A show about animals might connect to something they are learning at school. A song might lead to a conversation about poetry, musical instruments, or how music can express emotions.
Make it active.
Not all digital media has to involve sitting still. Dance along to music or videos, try a movement-based game, or get up and move while listening to music or podcasts together. The goal is to make shared media time active, engaging, and fun when possible.
Use media to start meaningful conversations.
For tweens and teens, watching a movie or show together can create a natural way to talk about more difficult topics. Stories and characters can open conversations about friendship, peer pressure, relationships, bullying, social groups, and other issues your child may be experiencing.
Sometimes, talking about what a character is going through can feel easier and less awkward than asking your child directly about their own experiences.
Include co-viewing in your family media plan
Children of all ages may be more willing to follow technology guidelines when the whole family agrees on a shared plan. A family media plan can help everyone understand the expectations around digital media and create an opportunity for children to have a voice in the conversation.
Your family’s plan might include:
- What types of content are and are not allowed
- Age-appropriate screen time guidelines
- Tech-free times, such as during meals or family outings
- Ways to reduce online risks and promote safety
- Opportunities for children to share feedback and help shape family media guidelines
When parents and children create digital media guidelines together, the goal is not simply to make more rules. It is to build healthy habits, open communication, and trust that can help children navigate the digital world as they grow.
Join Your Child’s Digital World
Technology and digital media are a part of everyday life for most children and teens. While online experiences can come with risks, they can also offer opportunities for learning, creativity, connection, and fun.
You do not have to understand every app, game, trend, or platform your child uses. You also do not have to monitor every moment of their online life. What matters most is staying connected and creating an environment where your child feels comfortable talking with you about their digital experiences.
Co-viewing and co-playing can help you better understand what your child enjoys online while creating opportunities for conversation, connection, and guidance. When families set expectations together and approach digital media with curiosity rather than fear, children can learn how to make thoughtful, healthy choices online.
Start small. Watch a show together, play a game, listen to music, or simply ask your child to show you something they enjoy. These everyday moments can help build the trust and communication your child needs to navigate the digital world—now and as they grow.