Alternatives to Screen Time Given in Parenting Advice

Screen time within the last decade is an area of rising interest, especially in a "Post-Covid" world. Despite a diversity of opinions being written and research being done on screen time, what is being presented as an alternative is lesser known. In this research, the aim is to identify types of activities that are presented to parents as alternatives' to screen time in parenting websites and blogs. This study uses qualitative content analysis of over 240 articles from 2019-2023 mentioning media use or screen time from two regularly consumed and popular parenting websites, Sheknows.com and Parents.com. The data so far shows three main types of alternatives are being presented. Productivity which includes chores, mediation and brain-teasers. Physical, this being activities like biking, hiking, sports, and physical games like tag. The last being enrichment, including hobby skills like painting and sewing but also DIY science projects and recycling. The popularity and frequencies of some suggestions over others hint at bigger inaccessibility for parents within online communities and highlight struggles in the lack of options for poor and disabled parents. It also raises implications and distinctions of off and online activities and their overall contributions to children's wellbeing. This paper hopes to further the understanding of online parental advice on topics of screen time and media use, in tandem with the off-line alternatives that websites suggest.