Bisma The Journal of Counseling
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2025): August

Screen Time vs. Quality Time: The 21st Century Battle in Raising Children

KHAIDIR FADIL (Universitas Ibn Khaldun Bogor)
Nurus Sa'adah (Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta)
Reni Sinta Dewi (Universitas Ibn Khaldun Bogor)
Rusdi Kasman (Universitas Ibn Khaldun Bogor)
Adi Abdurrahman (Institut Miftahul Huda Subang)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Aug 2025

Abstract

The increasing imbalance between children’s screen time and family quality time has become a major parenting challenge in the digital era, affecting children’s social, emotional, and mental health development. This study aims to analyze the implications of screen time and quality time on parent–child relationships and to identify digital parenting strategies to balance both. The type of research used is qualitative with a library research approach. The research subjects consist of scientific literature published in reputable journals, academic books, and official documents from international education and health organizations. Data was collected through documentation techniques using a literature review instrument validated by experts. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis and thematic analysis approaches. The research findings indicate that excessive screen time has a negative impact on the quality of parent-child relationships, emotional regulation, and children's social skills. Conversely, well-managed quality time has been proven to strengthen family emotional bonding and prevent relational dysfunction. Parental digital mediation strategies such as co-viewing, active mediation, and value-based restrictions have been proven effective in reducing the negative impacts of digital media. This study concludes that the balance between screen time and quality time needs to be consciously managed by parents. Implications include the need for family education policies and value-based digital parenting training within the local cultural context.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

bisma

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

Bisma The Journal of Counseling ISSN: Print 2598-3199 –Online 2598-3210 is a peer-reviewed, published by Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha in collaboration with Indonesian Counselor Association (IKI). The list of the journal was associated with Indonesian Counselor Association (IKI) is list here. ...