Play in, screens out, and building a healthy relationship with our devices

Many of my clearest memories as a child start from the singular feeling of being bored.

Growing up often meant accepting that boredom and finding ways to get over it. It led to trouble many times, and creativity on other occasions.

Unbeknown to me, it was about self-regulation, self-discovery and the real world. It involved seeking out experiences, sometimes with an equally bored friend who was willing to discover what there was beyond the doors to our homes.

Things are no doubt different today. The real world for our children is as much on a mobile screen as it is outside.

Parents also play a far more active role, not just in nurturing their children’s mental, physical and academic development, but also in managing both the positive and negative influences of mobile devices, the ubiquitous companions of today’s children.

The Straits Times wants to do more in this space, for both parents and children. We want to see if and how we can help. 

We are therefore starting a year-long series to unpack the realities faced by families in Singapore, which hopefully can help readers navigate the implications of an increasingly digital world for their children. 

An important part in developing this series was to reach out to the very audience that will end up reading our stories. We conducted an open call and spoke with 51 parents from all walks of life about their views on screen time in early November 2025. 

Their perspectives were as varied as they come – some felt very strongly about legislation, while others believed that a balanced approach was more important. The more parents we spoke with, the more we realised the real conversation we needed to be having was not about the merits or drawbacks of screen time per se. 

The series encompasses our views on parenting, our extended families’ involvement (should we be so lucky), our perspectives on education, play and healthy device use, our understanding of child psychology and emotional regulation, and so much more. 

What you can look forward to

Our stories will not be a list of dos and don’ts. 

For a start, the series will feature stories drawn from interviews with teenagers and young people who have struggled with issues such as gaming, pornography and social media use. 

Bravely, some have acknowledged their harmful habits and sought help. They will need grit and resilience in the ongoing journey to overcome addiction.

In our conversations with parents, some reminisced about our comics page, which they used to look forward to as children. Others beseeched us to include family-friendly activities in our pages, not just as a way to entertain or occupy their children, but also to bring the family together. 

You will find in our Life! section today a full page of activities. From a word search to a colouring template, do have fun with it as a family!

You and your families can look forward to

something similar every last Sunday of the month

. It will not always be a word search or a colouring page, but it will be fun, hopefully educational, and something you can do together. 

An evolving conversation 

As part of this series, we hope to speak with experts, connect you with local thought leaders, and help you and your family make informed decisions about your screen use habits. 

If you have a suggestion on a topic you would like us to look into, write to us at

stnewsdesk@sph.com.sg

 

Screens are an inevitable part of our lives. You are very likely to be reading this on a screen right now. 

I hope our year-long series will offer you practical ideas for play, simple ways to switch off, and start conversations about how best to situate the mobile screen in a full and fulfilling family life.