I know often kids feel like we adults have double standards. We say one thing, but we don’t do it. We set rules for kids but don’t have rules for ourselves. In our morning drive, for example, my kids and I often notice adults texting while on the road to school or near a school. At restaurants, we see lots adults on their devices during dinner, not just the kids. I can be guilty of breaking my own rules, checking a screen to distract myself from a task I’m having a hard time completing, or staying up much later than I meant to, checking “just one more thing.”
Here are some questions to ask your kids this week for Tech Talk Tuesday to help start a conversation about modeling:
How do you see me interacting with my screens?
Do you think I have rules for myself about my own screen use (like about when or how much I think it’s okay to do screen-based activities)?
Should I make guidelines for myself?
Should guidelines for parents be the same or different as guidelines for the kids?
Do you think adults spend more time on screens than you or less than you?
How do you feel about how I use my mobile devices — when, how much, and why?
Photo by Design Pics/Design Pics / Getty Images
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
I know often kids feel like we adults have double standards. We say one thing, but we don’t do it. We set rules for kids but don’t have rules for ourselves. In our morning drive, for example, my kids and I often notice adults texting while on the road to school or near a school. At restaurants, we see lots adults on their devices during dinner, not just the kids. I can be guilty of breaking my own rules, checking a screen to distract myself from a task I’m having a hard time completing, or staying up much later than I meant to, checking “just one more thing.”
Here are some questions to ask your kids this week for Tech Talk Tuesday to help start a conversation about modeling:
How do you see me interacting with my screens?
Do you think I have rules for myself about my own screen use (like about when or how much I think it’s okay to do screen-based activities)?
Should I make guidelines for myself?
Should guidelines for parents be the same or different as guidelines for the kids?
Do you think adults spend more time on screens than you or less than you?
How do you feel about how I use my mobile devices — when, how much, and why?
Photo by Design Pics/Design Pics / Getty Images
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
Wow! Summer really goes by fast, doesn’t it? Back-to-school is already here for some and not far away for others. Ahead of this school year, I’ve hand-picked four of our most useful blogs. Practical, timely guides to help you set your family up for a healthier, more balanced relationship with technology in the months ahead.
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Today I’m rounding up six of the most-read blogs from 2025 so far. Stories and interviews that struck a chord with readers and offered real tools for parenting in the screen age. Whether you missed a few or want a quick refresher, I hope you’ll find something here that inspires a new conversation in your home, school, or community.
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Last week in clinic, I met with a teen and her mom. The mom voiced concern about her daughter using over-the-ear headphones for hours on end, worried it could be harming her hearing. Headphones and earbuds have become the norm, and for many of us, volume tends to creep up. I’ve caught myself lately at the gym, blasting music louder than I probably should. Today I talk more about this and highlight one thing you can do right now for yourself and with your family to check in on your hearing.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
