Screen time during diwali holidays: a calm plan

What the experts say about screen time during diwali holidays

Let us look at the actual recommendations before the festive madness takes over. Health guidelines give us a very helpful baseline to work from. For instance, the World Health Organization notes that children under five need to sit less and play more. They advise no more than one hour a day of sitting in front of a screen for young children. Less time is always better. The message is clear about keeping physical movement high.

The focus is heavily on how we use that screen time. As the American Academy of Pediatrics says the best screen experiences are interactive and shared. They suggest choosing good programmes and watching them with your child. This helps them connect what they see on a tablet to the real physical world around them.

Sitting together on the sofa and talking about the cartoon dog is vastly different from handing over a device and walking into the kitchen to fry puris. Shared viewing turns a passive activity into a conversation. It means you can pause the video and ask them what they think will happen next. This small change in habit makes a significant difference in how they process the digital information.

When the festive routine disappears

Diwali means late nights. It means heavy meals at odd hours and a constant stream of neighbours walking through the living room. Normal routines just vanish overnight. Children easily get overwhelmed by the sudden noise of firecrackers in the street and the sheer volume of adults talking over each other.

Sometimes a glowing screen feels like the only calm corner available to them. We understand the appeal. But too much of it can make them more wired. They sit completely still while watching a video, but their brains are processing flashing colours and rapid noises at a high speed. Once the phone is taken away, the pent-up physical energy often explodes into a tantrum.

The goal is not to ban screens entirely during the holidays. That is simply not realistic for most families. The aim is to use them with intention. We can offer a short cartoon when they genuinely need to wind down. We can avoid using the television as a default background activity while the adults sit and drink tea.

Simple alternatives to handing over the phone

Involve them in the actual preparation of the house. Give them a small cotton duster to help clean the low wooden tables. Let them pull the petals off marigold flowers and put them in a brass bowl for the morning puja. These tiny tasks give them a sense of purpose. They keep small hands busy while you get the real work done nearby.

Keep some open-ended play materials ready in a corner of the room. A cardboard box filled with old newspapers to tear and crumple is surprisingly fun for a young child. It makes a mess, but it is a mess you can easily sweep up later. Give them a small piece of dough to roll out while you cook dinner. They will spend twenty minutes making tiny, misshapen rotis.

Reading a familiar book in a quiet bedroom is a great way to reset when the house gets too loud. You do not need to buy anything new to keep them occupied. Children just want to feel like they are part of the action. Giving them physical things to touch and manipulate works far better than a digital game.

Setting boundaries that actually hold up

Create strict device-free zones in the house. Keep phones far away from the dining table. Turn off the television when no one is actively watching a specific show. Constant background noise just adds to the general chaos of a festive home. The silence in between conversations is actually quite nice.

Video calls are a completely different category. A video call with a grandparent in another city is an interactive social experience. The guidelines treat this differently from passively watching an animated film. They are talking, responding, and sharing their day. You do not need to count a twenty-minute call to their cousins as part of their daily screen limit.

Model the behaviour yourself. If we are constantly scrolling through family WhatsApp groups to check on dinner plans, they will naturally want the phone too. Put your own device on silent and leave it in another room for an hour. When children see adults completely present in the moment, they are less likely to demand digital entertainment.

Questions parents ask

Is it okay to use screens to keep kids quiet during a puja?

It is completely normal to need a distraction when you require absolute quiet. Try to keep it brief. You can hand them a tablet for fifteen minutes if it saves the moment. Once the main prayer is over, guide them back to a physical activity. Let them help hand out the prasad to the guests.

Do video calls with relatives count towards the daily screen limit?

No. Talking to family on a screen is considered interactive. It is a conversation rather than passive consumption. It helps children build relationships with distant relatives. They get to practice their speaking skills and share what they are doing for the festival.

How do we handle screen time when older cousins visit?

Older cousins might have their own phones or entirely different rules at home. Talk to the adults beforehand to agree on a few device-free hours during the afternoon. Encourage all the children to play a board game on the floor or run around outside together.

Tonight, before the real rush of the festival begins, pick one small pocket of the day to keep entirely screen-free. It could be breakfast time or the quiet hour before bed.

Written by Aman Soni. Say hello on Aman Soni’s LinkedIn.

This advice is for parents of young children.