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
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
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
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
As we’re about to celebrate 10 years of Screenagers, we want to hear what’s been most helpful and what you’d like to see next.
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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
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
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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
Parenting in this digital age is full of challenges. I imagine many of you are nodding in agreement. And when we look for advice online, it can feel like a sea of perfect experts with perfect advice: “Just follow these three easy steps and everything will fall into place.” In this week’s blog, I share a story about a moment with my daughter Tessa that did not go quite as planned but ended up teaching us both something important.
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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.
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.
