Nico Bolzico, Solenn Heussaff on Balancing Screen Time and Outdoor Play

The Bolzicos found harmony between outdoor play and screens.

Published on Aug 12, 2025

For Solenn Heussaff and Nico Bolzico, outdoor play and having fun are what childhood is all about. They want their daughters, six-year-old Thylane “Tili” and three-year-old Maëlys, to grow up free to explore, get messy, and just be kids.

At the Baygon and Off! Mission: TAPOsible event on August 9, the couple chatted with Smart Parenting about how they encourage their kids to explore the outdoors while still managing screen time.

Also read: Solenn Heusaff is Discovering the Right Mix of Parenthood

Balancing Screen Time with Outdoor Play

The Bolzicos are big on outdoor play, and because their kids are still young, they don’t have phones or any phone screen time. Instead, they’re allowed to watch TV—with one condition.

She explained, “We do allow them TV at night because it’s in Spanish and we can control it, but we minimize it during the day.”

She also made it clear that they don’t watch in English or French, so the girls can focus on learning Spanish.

As for the decision to not give their kids phone or tablet screen time, Solenn explained, “It was like a no-brainer because we’ve seen how families are sometimes—personally, when I go to restaurants, I know this family—the bond is just kind of very disconnected nowadays because the dad’s on the phone, the mom is doing something else, and the kids are on the iPad. It’s really sad. It’s like a sad evolution.”

“I definitely want to be a family that is always connected, that communicates all the time, and that enjoys time together without needing the support of a digital device,” she added.

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Nico said, “It’s a huge part of their childhood to be outside, to get dirty, to play. We wouldn’t remove that from them. The response to that is to protect them through repellent, Baygon, and in the house, of course, we have the screens. We also choose the times they go out.”

Nico admitted that Solenn is the “cleaner” one who keeps the house in order. Still, they both fully support their kids making a mess while playing.

Making Family Time a Priority

Since the birth of their first child, the couple made the effort to work from home as much as possible. “Of course, it’s not a luxury everyone has but we’re very lucky to be able to do this,” said Solenn. “If we have work on the same day, we move around so either Nico is in the house or I am with the children. When they’re at school, that’s when we work or exercise. But when the kids are home, at least one parent has to be present.”

For Nico, these early years are precious. “From zero to nine or ten, your kids still want to be with you,” he said. “They love you a little less after that.”

“They love you differently. They want to be with friends,” Solenn said, chiming in. Nico added, “Yeah, they become pa-cool,” before continuing, “Right now, we’re still their heroes, so I want to be part of every aspect of their life at this stage.”

He also stressed the importance of wellness, because without that, he cannot fully support his children’s journeys.

“And health, I think it’s important also for us to stay healthy and fit because if you’re not healthy and fit, you cannot be there for them to help them to be part of their journeys.”

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Instagram/ @solenn.

Reflecting on how the pandemic changed their priorities, he shared, “I think putting those two things as priorities is what we changed this pandemic. Of course, we have schedules and companies that we are part of, but it’s kind of like, if I can’t move a meeting because I already committed myself to spend time with my kids, I will move that before.”

Nico added that balancing work and family life takes constant prioritizing. “So, I think it’s a bit of prioritizing without giving attention to the other things, the balance. We can’t just be with the kids and [focus on] being healthy because, you know, we need to work and generate income at the end of the day. But it’s all about how you prioritize.”

At the same time, Nico remains mindful that many families do not have the same opportunities. “Of course, there are many situations where families cannot do this, so we always keep in mind how privileged we are to manage our schedule in order to spend time with our kids.”

Discover great ideas to spend quality time with your family. Click here!

Hanna is a News Desk Writer at Smart Parenting, covering parenting, health, culture, and more. Off the clock, she’s likely people-watching at a café or park, matcha latte in hand.