I am forever thinking about the challenges of modeling healthier screen time habits for our kids.
One important thing is to identify specific things you want to model.
So often, parents say, “We, parents, all need to model better around this.” The problem with this is big amorphous goals, such as ”I’m going to eat healthier” or “ I need to model screen time better for my kids,” tend to fall by the wayside.
In the past, I have written about other specific ways to model tech time.
Today’s blog is about improving communication and understanding of what people are doing on their devices, and it is also about modeling having more mindfulness of what one is doing.
I offer a model of how to break down screen time and how it can be helpful to model saying to family members which of these three things you are doing on your devices: Tool, Talk, or Treat?
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Create is the operative word. For example, a teen may watch a YouTube video to learn how to build bird nests. They are creating. We use our devices to facilitate smarter and more creative brains for all sorts of work and school activities.
In a workshop I did last week with parents and their kids after watching Screenagers, I gave each table two minutes to come up with all the ways they use tech as a treat. It had to be specific — they couldn’t say video games in general — they had to list specific games.
It overlays with Tool and Treat, such as when we talk with friends over FaceTime or make a call to get an oven repaired.
Once you have Tool, Treat, and Talk down, here is the modeling part. See if you can get in the habit of speaking your use out loud by telling your kids how you are using your device when you are on it. You may spontaneously say, “I’m using it for Talk — I am coordinating the carpool for soccer.” You may say, “Work,” and that is it. You don’t always need to go into more detail. And then, of course, specify when you are using your device in Treat mode.
This modeling can improve understanding in the family and give kids a better idea of what you are doing on your device.
Ask any child or teen if they think their parent is on their device too much, and about 70% will say “yes.” I base this loose stat on the informal surveys of thousands of kids and teens I’ve done in small and large group settings for over a decade.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Register your interest in bringing our new movie to your school or community
The fact is, we use our devices for work at times when our kids assume we should be more at play. We are also just as susceptible to being pulled to our screens as our kids are. If we feel a bit sheepish to say what we are doing on our screen, it is a great time to reflect on that feeling, i.e., “I may be watching too many YouTube videos of football halftime shows.”
Conversations around what constitutes, Tool, Treat, and Talk help bring self-awareness.
And finally, it can be fun to talk about the borders between these three categories are not cut and dry. Wordle could be considered a treat, but you could also say it is a Tool since you are using your brain to produce words using strategic thinking.
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I am forever thinking about the challenges of modeling healthier screen time habits for our kids.
One important thing is to identify specific things you want to model.
So often, parents say, “We, parents, all need to model better around this.” The problem with this is big amorphous goals, such as ”I’m going to eat healthier” or “ I need to model screen time better for my kids,” tend to fall by the wayside.
In the past, I have written about other specific ways to model tech time.
Today’s blog is about improving communication and understanding of what people are doing on their devices, and it is also about modeling having more mindfulness of what one is doing.
I offer a model of how to break down screen time and how it can be helpful to model saying to family members which of these three things you are doing on your devices: Tool, Talk, or Treat?
Create is the operative word. For example, a teen may watch a YouTube video to learn how to build bird nests. They are creating. We use our devices to facilitate smarter and more creative brains for all sorts of work and school activities.
In a workshop I did last week with parents and their kids after watching Screenagers, I gave each table two minutes to come up with all the ways they use tech as a treat. It had to be specific — they couldn’t say video games in general — they had to list specific games.
It overlays with Tool and Treat, such as when we talk with friends over FaceTime or make a call to get an oven repaired.
Once you have Tool, Treat, and Talk down, here is the modeling part. See if you can get in the habit of speaking your use out loud by telling your kids how you are using your device when you are on it. You may spontaneously say, “I’m using it for Talk — I am coordinating the carpool for soccer.” You may say, “Work,” and that is it. You don’t always need to go into more detail. And then, of course, specify when you are using your device in Treat mode.
This modeling can improve understanding in the family and give kids a better idea of what you are doing on your device.
Ask any child or teen if they think their parent is on their device too much, and about 70% will say “yes.” I base this loose stat on the informal surveys of thousands of kids and teens I’ve done in small and large group settings for over a decade.
The fact is, we use our devices for work at times when our kids assume we should be more at play. We are also just as susceptible to being pulled to our screens as our kids are. If we feel a bit sheepish to say what we are doing on our screen, it is a great time to reflect on that feeling, i.e., “I may be watching too many YouTube videos of football halftime shows.”
Conversations around what constitutes, Tool, Treat, and Talk help bring self-awareness.
And finally, it can be fun to talk about the borders between these three categories are not cut and dry. Wordle could be considered a treat, but you could also say it is a Tool since you are using your brain to produce words using strategic thinking.
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I am forever thinking about the challenges of modeling healthier screen time habits for our kids.
One important thing is to identify specific things you want to model.
So often, parents say, “We, parents, all need to model better around this.” The problem with this is big amorphous goals, such as ”I’m going to eat healthier” or “ I need to model screen time better for my kids,” tend to fall by the wayside.
In the past, I have written about other specific ways to model tech time.
Today’s blog is about improving communication and understanding of what people are doing on their devices, and it is also about modeling having more mindfulness of what one is doing.
I offer a model of how to break down screen time and how it can be helpful to model saying to family members which of these three things you are doing on your devices: Tool, Talk, or Treat?
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E-readers are convenient, but there are three reasons to lean toward paper books this summer. First, e-readers are screens, and the pull of everything else you could do on one makes it harder to stay immersed. Second, a large meta-analysis found people understand and remember slightly better on paper, especially with longer texts. Third, easy access to endless book samples makes it too tempting to jump ship rather than work through the slower parts, since reading, unlike TikTok, is about delayed gratification.
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Summer's wide open hours raise two perennial questions: how to reset screen time once the school-year structure disappears, and how to fill the freed-up days with things that are good for kids and parents alike. This week rounds up seven favorite past summer posts to help with both.
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.
