Reading Bedtime Stories on a Tablet or Phone: Is It OK, and How to Do It Well

A paper picture book is the classic bedtime object, but plenty of families end up reading from a phone or tablet — on holiday, at a grandparent’s house, or simply because the screen is what is in your hand. Is that a problem? Not automatically. The problem is usually not “a screen” but what is on it, how bright it is, and whether it turns into twenty minutes of scrolling. A note on honesty: Wonderbin is a website, so we have an interest here. Take the practical points below on their merits.

What the worry is actually about

• Light. A bright screen held close to the face in a dark room is more stimulating than a small reading lamp. Brightness is the easiest thing to fix.
• Interactivity. Anything that pings, autoplays or invites taps keeps a child engaged. A page you simply turn does the opposite.
• The next thing. A device is one swipe from videos and games, so “one more” is harder to say no to.
• Parent distraction. A phone in your hand can pull your own attention away mid-story.

Health bodies commonly suggest keeping screens out of the last stretch before sleep. A calm illustrated story, read aloud with you beside your child, is a very different thing from solo video, but it is still wise to follow the same instinct and keep the screen part short and gentle.

How to make screen reading work

• Turn the brightness right down and use the warm or night display setting if your device has one.
• Switch on do-not-disturb so no notification arrives halfway through a page.
• You hold the device. It keeps the screen at a sensible distance, and it ends when you say so.
• Choose still, illustrated pages over animated or video content. A story you read aloud and a page you turn feels like a book.
• Decide how many stories before you start — see how many bedtime stories per night — and stick to it.
• Finish with the screen away. Put the device out of reach, then use the last few minutes for a cuddle, a song or talking in the dark.

When a screen is the better choice

Sometimes it simply is. You are travelling and the book stayed at home. A grandparent is reading to a child over a call (see stories over video call). You want a large, clear picture for a child who is just starting to read, or you want the text to scale up for tired eyes. Having a few good stories ready on your phone can save a bad night, as long as they are the gentle kind.

Illustrated stories that read well on a screen

These are calm, illustrated stories with soft endings. Whether you read them on a tablet, a phone or the page, they are meant to be read slowly and aloud.

Mixing screens and paper

You do not have to pick one. Some families read on a screen at the start of the evening while the room is lit, then finish with a paper book, a song or an audio story with the lights low. Others keep screens out of the bedroom entirely and read from paper there. If you are setting up a space that draws children in, our cosy reading corner guide has ideas that work with either.

If screens have crept further into the evening than you would like, screen-free bedtime activities offers calm replacements, and our bedtime stories are a good place to start whichever way you read.