The season of spring break is upon us. With it comes the issue of what to do with your unstructured days. Let’s face it, so often down time has become screen time.
Are you a goal setting family? Start out the week with a clear picture of what you want screen time to look like during the break. Then, ask your kids what are their goals for their time off. Get specific about screen time. Ask them what they would like to do on screens during the week, and how much time they think they’ll need. Together you can make an agreement that you both feel good about. Just having the conversation will get your kids thinking more realistically and less robotically about their devices.
You may want to have your kids help with chores and errands during the downtime. How do you get them to do things they don’t feel energized and motivated about? One woman I spoke with last week told me how happy she was when she realized how using screen time as a reward with her daughter worked so well to get her to practice the violin.
This is a very common, and often, effective scenario. Clean your room or do your homework or take out the trash … then you can have screen time.
Some, however, believe using screen time as a reward is not a good thing. The people at ReStart, the program for internet addiction that was featured in Screenagers, believe dangling screen time as a reward creates, even more, focus on screen time.
For this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday here are some questions to discuss with your family about downtime and screen time:
April 4, 2017
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
The season of spring break is upon us. With it comes the issue of what to do with your unstructured days. Let’s face it, so often down time has become screen time.
Are you a goal setting family? Start out the week with a clear picture of what you want screen time to look like during the break. Then, ask your kids what are their goals for their time off. Get specific about screen time. Ask them what they would like to do on screens during the week, and how much time they think they’ll need. Together you can make an agreement that you both feel good about. Just having the conversation will get your kids thinking more realistically and less robotically about their devices.
You may want to have your kids help with chores and errands during the downtime. How do you get them to do things they don’t feel energized and motivated about? One woman I spoke with last week told me how happy she was when she realized how using screen time as a reward with her daughter worked so well to get her to practice the violin.
This is a very common, and often, effective scenario. Clean your room or do your homework or take out the trash … then you can have screen time.
Some, however, believe using screen time as a reward is not a good thing. The people at ReStart, the program for internet addiction that was featured in Screenagers, believe dangling screen time as a reward creates, even more, focus on screen time.
For this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday here are some questions to discuss with your family about downtime and screen time:
April 4, 2017
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
One phrase I’ve often used over the years is “fighting fire with fire,” and when it comes to managing screen time, this idea can really come in handy. Incorporating parental controls into your family’s screen time routine can make things run more smoothly at home. And summer is an ideal time to consider this approach.
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A topic I hear from parents regularly is regret—regret about saying yes to a tech device too soon. Maybe it was a smartphone, a smartwatch, a gaming console in the bedroom, or allowing social media. Today’s post is about how to reverse course on a tech decision for your child thoughtfully — and possibly prevent even deeper regret down the road.
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As the gift-giving season approaches, many parents consider buying their kids their first phones or connected watches. Before diving into this decision, I want to share my perspective: delaying this purchase as long as possible is often the best approach. If you have decided to move forward, my team and I have worked hard to compile a detailed chart of simple phone and watch recommendations to help you choose the best option.
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.
