If you’re a New Brunswick parent and feel like screens are winning, you’re not imagining things. The province’s health and education leaders are paying close attention to this, and their message is clear: limits matter, and the earlier you set them, the easier they are to keep.
What’s changing in New Brunswick
This fall, the province announced updated rules on screens for children. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development revised Policy 311 on responsible use of digital technology and introduced a new Policy 902 covering screen time and personal mobile devices in licensed early learning and child care facilities. Licensed child-care facilities will limit screen time to 30 minutes or less, with none for children aged two and under. Any screen use there has to be educational, age-appropriate, guided by an educator, and kept away from mealtimes.
The reasoning is rooted in child development. Research links excessive passive screen use with effects on attention, memory, emotional regulation and language development. Schools are also tightening up: screen time during class now has to be educational and tied to curriculum outcomes.
Mental health groups are weighing in too. The head of the Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick said that supporting children’s mental health takes more than reducing distractions. Limits are one piece of the puzzle, alongside connection, play, and support at home.
Why it matters: the NB picture
The numbers show how far most families are from recommended levels. According to New Brunswick Health Council data, 74.2% of students in grades 4 and 5 averaged more than two hours of screen time a day in 2023-2024. Only 14.8% of students in grades 6 to 12 reported two hours or less of free-time screen use on weekends.
Sleep is where this hits home. A New Brunswick Health Council report found more than 60% of children and youth sleep less than eight hours a night, and it identified pre-bedtime screen time as part of the problem. Poor sleep is linked to healthy weights, mental health and injury risk.
A practical guide to setting limits
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines are the benchmark most provincial data is measured against. In general, they recommend no screen time for children under two, under an hour a day for ages two to four, and no more than two hours of recreational screen time a day for ages five to 17. Here’s how to make that work in a real household.
1. Start with the youngest kids. For toddlers, the goal is simple: avoid screens as much as you can. Video calls with grandparents are a fine exception.
2. Protect sleep first. If you only change one thing, make it this one. Charge devices outside the bedroom and set a screen cutoff well before bedtime. Kids aged five to 13 need roughly nine to 11 hours of sleep, and teens aged 14 to 17 need eight to 10.
3. Keep meals and car rides screen-free. Predictable no-screen zones are easier to enforce than constantly negotiating minutes.
4. Choose quality over quantity. Co-viewing an educational show with your child is very different from solo scrolling on a feed. Ask questions, talk about what you’re watching, and stay involved.
5. Replace, don’t just remove. The Health Council’s CEO suggested helping kids build new habits, such as a sport or hobby, to draw their attention away from screens. A limit with nothing to fill the gap tends to turn into a daily fight.
6. Model it. Kids notice how often we reach for our own phones. Putting yours down at dinner does more than any rule.
7. Make a family media plan. Sit down together, agree on when and where devices are used, and write it down. Kids are more likely to follow rules they helped create, and you can revisit the plan as they grow.
Be kind to yourself
No family gets this perfect. Sick days, long drives and busy weeknights happen. The goal is a healthy overall pattern, not zero screens. If you slip, reset the next day.
If you’re worried about how your child is handling screens, such as changes in mood, sleep or school performance, talk to your family doctor, nurse practitioner or your child’s school. They can point you to local support.
This post draws on New Brunswick government announcements and New Brunswick Health Council data, plus the national movement guidelines. It’s general information, not individual medical advice.
