We live in a society with a loud and clear message: “Family life is private life.” When things go awry, the memo most of us were raised with tells us, "You and your family should deal with it on your own.”
Then the tech revolution tsunami hit and flooded all of our homes. What was the response? Was there a national invitation to get all concerned people together to share what was happening to their kids and families and to find solutions? Of course not. Instead, it was every family for themselves.
I decided to make the Screenagers movies to bring communities together — to stop family silos — and inspire post-screening conversations about helpful strategies.
Research has shown that people are particularly influenced by their peers, and this doesn’t just apply to teens. Adults are influenced by their peers, too.
In countless post-screening Screenagers and Screenagers Next Chapter discussions I’ve run, I have watched entire rooms perk up when people share screen time limits they have tried and what has or has not worked. So often, one person sharing something vulnerable is the catalyst needed to get others to share as well.
The other night, I was leading a post-screening Q&A with parents of elementary school-aged kids, and a parent stood up and asked a question. She mentioned that in her home, they use tech to shut the wifi off at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. She emphasized this has made a big difference in their home.
Other audience members started sharing things they had experimented with after her comment. After the Q&A, I saw parents gather to continue the sharing.
Hearing ideas from people in our circles can significantly impact us in many ways. For example, it might get us to try something new, and being able to follow up with the person who shared the idea can get us through challenging times. Another thing is that parents often believe other parents are much more permissive around tech than they actually are.
One final thought, since I am always on the hunt for more tech time-out ideas to share with all of you, please consider sending me any answers to the questions above. This will help me share more ideas — anonymously — with our wonderful Screenagers community. By the way, thank you for being a part of it.
Questions for your kids and family to get the conversation started:
We live in a society with a loud and clear message: “Family life is private life.” When things go awry, the memo most of us were raised with tells us, "You and your family should deal with it on your own.”
Then the tech revolution tsunami hit and flooded all of our homes. What was the response? Was there a national invitation to get all concerned people together to share what was happening to their kids and families and to find solutions? Of course not. Instead, it was every family for themselves.
I decided to make the Screenagers movies to bring communities together — to stop family silos — and inspire post-screening conversations about helpful strategies.
Research has shown that people are particularly influenced by their peers, and this doesn’t just apply to teens. Adults are influenced by their peers, too.
In countless post-screening Screenagers and Screenagers Next Chapter discussions I’ve run, I have watched entire rooms perk up when people share screen time limits they have tried and what has or has not worked. So often, one person sharing something vulnerable is the catalyst needed to get others to share as well.
The other night, I was leading a post-screening Q&A with parents of elementary school-aged kids, and a parent stood up and asked a question. She mentioned that in her home, they use tech to shut the wifi off at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. She emphasized this has made a big difference in their home.
One of THE most challenging things as a parent is knowing how to respond when our kids break rules around screen time. Today I write about what to do when transgressions happen, consulting about the WISE before taking action and why consequences should be short..
READ MORE >Having policies/ rules around tech is valuable and worth the work. But I am the last to claim that this is easy. You may know my personal story from Screenagers, where you saw me learning the hard way how critical it is that we find ways to involve our kids in defining screen-tome rules with us — vs. my initial, more top-down techniques. In today’s blog, I give 11 rules/policies to consider for the New Year. And I also include a couple of recent studies you may want to share with your kids.
READ MORE >As the New Year begins, it's natural to think about resolutions and ways to improve our habits and routines. But instead of focusing on revamping screen time rules, I've been thinking about the moments when my family and I turned off, or turned over, our devices and were more present with each other. One of my resolutions was to share these memories with my family. My hope is that it will foster not only a feeling of gratitude but also create a "family piggy bank" of positive experiences to draw upon when tech troubles inevitably arise.
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.