Screen Time and Well-being

Active learning helps Year 5 pupils grasp the impact of screen time on well-being by making abstract concepts tangible. Tracking personal habits, dissecting app designs, and designing schedules turn theoretical ideas into observable actions that students can reflect on and adjust.

• Year 5
• Computing
• 4 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how specific app notification features, such as badges and sounds, are designed to capture user attention.
2. Differentiate between active screen time (e.g., creating content) and passive screen time (e.g., scrolling) and explain their differing impacts on well-being.
3. Design a personal weekly schedule that balances digital activities with physical activities and offline social interactions.
4. Evaluate the potential positive and negative effects of social media use on mental and physical health.
5. Critique the design choices of a chosen app to identify strategies that encourage prolonged engagement.

Formal Debate

⏱ 45 min·Pairs

Tracking Log: Personal Screen Audit

Students use a provided template to log screen activities for three days, marking each as active or passive and noting mood after. Pairs compare logs to identify patterns. The class graphs results to discuss group trends.

Prepare & details

Analyze how apps use notifications to keep us looking at our screens.

Facilitation Tip: For the Tracking Log, model how to categorize screen time using clear examples before students work independently.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Formal Debate

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Notification Detective: App Breakdown

In small groups, pupils list notifications from their devices or demo apps, classify them by type, and brainstorm how they encourage repeated checks. Groups present findings with examples. Vote on most persuasive tactics.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between active screen time and passive screen time.

Facilitation Tip: In the Notification Detective activity, provide real app screenshots or short video clips to ground the analysis in familiar experiences.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Formal Debate

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Balance Workshop: Schedule Design

Small groups create visual weekly planners balancing screen time with physical activities, using colours for active/passive. Include rules for notifications. Share and refine based on peer feedback.

Prepare & details

Design a plan to create a healthy balance between digital and physical activities.

Facilitation Tip: During the Balance Workshop, circulate with a timer to help groups pace their planning and avoid rushed decisions.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Formal Debate

⏱ 30 min·Whole Class

Role-Play Relay: Habit Switch

Whole class lines up; teacher calls scenarios like 'notification buzz.' Students act out passive response then switch to active alternative. Discuss feelings in debrief.

Prepare & details

Analyze how apps use notifications to keep us looking at our screens.

Facilitation Tip: In the Role-Play Relay, assign specific roles like 'app designer' or 'user' to ensure all students participate actively.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by grounding discussions in students’ lived experiences. Avoid lecturing about screen time; instead, guide them to notice patterns in their own behavior. Research shows that when pupils analyze real examples, they internalize concepts more deeply than through abstract rules. Keep activities short and discussion-based to maintain engagement and prevent fatigue.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like pupils recognizing the difference between active and passive screen time, identifying manipulative app features, and creating balanced weekly plans they can explain and justify to peers. Their reflections should show growing awareness of how small changes improve daily routines.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Tracking Log, watch for students who label all screen time as the same and struggle to differentiate between activities.

What to Teach Instead

Guide students to relive specific moments from their screen time and describe how each activity made them feel before categorizing it as active or passive.

Common Misconception

During the Notification Detective activity, watch for students who assume all notifications are necessary or important.

What to Teach Instead

Have students list the notification’s purpose and compare it to a friend’s experience to highlight how apps often prioritize retention over usefulness.

Common Misconception

During the Balance Workshop, watch for students who create extreme schedules that eliminate screens entirely or allow unlimited use.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to test their plans for one day and reflect on how it felt, then adjust the schedule to include realistic, balanced use.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Notification Detective activity, ask students to write down one app notification they find particularly attention-grabbing and explain why. Then, have them suggest one way to modify that notification to reduce its pull.

Discussion Prompt

After the Balance Workshop, pose the question: 'Imagine you have one hour of free time. Would you rather spend it actively creating something on a tablet or passively scrolling through videos? Explain your choice and why it contributes to your well-being.' Have students share responses in small groups before whole-class discussion.

Quick Check

During the Role-Play Relay, ask students to hold up fingers to indicate their agreement with the statement: 'I can identify at least two ways an app tries to keep me using it.' Follow up by asking a few students to share their examples and explain how they noticed these features.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to design a notification that encourages healthy screen habits rather than constant use.
• Scaffolding: Provide a partially completed weekly plan with prompts for each time slot to guide students who struggle with structure.
• Deeper: Invite students to research and present one strategy for reducing passive screen time, citing sources from trusted child health websites.

Key Vocabulary

Passive Screen Time	Consuming content on a screen without active creation or deep engagement, such as scrolling through social media feeds or watching videos.
Active Screen Time	Engaging with a screen in a way that involves creation, problem-solving, or focused interaction, like coding, digital art, or educational games.
Notification Fatigue	A state of being overwhelmed or desensitized by frequent alerts and notifications from digital devices, leading to stress or missed important information.
Digital Well-being	A state of physical and mental health achieved through mindful and balanced use of digital technologies.
Algorithmic Feed	A social media or content platform feed that uses algorithms to curate and order content based on user behavior and preferences, aiming to keep users engaged.