As a parent with children growing up in a world full of technology, it can be hard to know how you should handle allowing your children to spend time doing things like play video games, go on the computer, watch videos on their phones, or sit down in front of the TV. While setting boundaries with these things early on can be very helpful, it’s also worth stating that cutting these things out completely might result in your children rebelling against your strict rules about screens. So to help ensure that you’ve taught your children correct principles that will stick with them throughout the rest of their lives, here are three tips for creating a healthy relationship between your kids and their screens.

Use Screen Time As Bonding Time

Although you might be thinking of screen time as something horrible that you need to protect your kids against, you can actually use screen time as a way for your kids to gain some valuable experience as opposed to just wasting their time or rotting their minds. According to HealthyChildren.org, you may want to work with your kids to use their screen time as a way for your family to bond with one another. You could try playing a video game together or watching a show or movie that you can all enjoy and then talk about later. By doing this, you may gain a new appreciation for screen time as well as see improvements in your relationship with your kids.

Limit Screens In Certain Areas Of The Home

Allowing your kids to have screen time should be viewed as a privilege, not a right. In alignment with this way of thinking, you might want to consider setting some ground rules about where and when screens won’t be allowed whatsoever. According to Amy Morin, a contributor to Very Well Family, some “tech-free zones” you might want to start creating could include the dinner table, the bathroom, and in their bedrooms. By encourage screen time only in common areas, you can better keep an eye on what’s going on with their screens and how much time is spent on them.

Teach Them Correct Priorities

Rather than just making arbitrary rules about when and where your kids should be having screen time, Vivian Manning-Schaffel, a contributor to NBC News, suggests that you teach them how to set their priorities correctly. If you have your kids do the most important things first, like homework, chores, and being physically active, before they’re allowed to have screen time, they’ll hopefully learn how to govern themselves as they get older and not allow for the temptation of screen time to get their priorities out of order.

To help your kids be smart about their screen time, consider using the tips mentioned above to encourage them to find a healthy balance with technology in their lives.