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Adolescence
How to Help Your Teen Manage Screen Time Successfully
It starts with understanding technology is here to stay, so be a parent first.
Posted January 9, 2024 Reviewed by Ray Parker
Key points
- Most teens (96%) are on the internet daily.
- Teens overusing screen time increases depression, anxiety, and aggression.
- Instead of solely imposing restrictions, parents can collaborate with their teens to manage screen time.
"Be her parent, not her best friend" is a common phrase that parents need to take seriously, especially when it pertains to the rules of technology for their family.
We are now facing a time when nearly all teens (96 percent) are using the internet every day, and the amount of young people who are online almost constantly has nearly doubled from 2015 until today, according to the PEW Research Center.
Although most of us understand that the train has left the station for this generation of teens and technology, it doesn't mean parents give up on trying to take back control of their devices. Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory, Social Media and Youth Mental Health, digging into the complex world teenagers and youth are dealing with online, especially when they are not emotionally prepared.
Social media and the overuse of screen time have been proven to diminish the mental health of our young people; parents watch their children rage or have explosive meltdowns if they even threaten to remove their phones. It's time to help teens learn how to manage screen time successfully.
5 Ways to Help Your Teen Manage Screen Time (Successfully)
This may not be easy, but it will be worthwhile since your teen's future and mental well-being are at risk.
1. Knowledge is power. Although your teen has probably heard you warn them about the risks of social media to their mental health, it's time to talk about the risks of too much social media (screen time) for anyone, including yourself as a parent.
More research and studies have shown that many adults have become slaves to their phones, leading to increased issues with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. In other words, many parents can relate to their teenager's digital life; let's work on this together. Let your teen know they're not alone.
2. Limit your notifications. This is probably one of the biggest (and easiest) stress reducers you can make for your teen and yourself. To have a half dozen sounds of buzzes, whistles, rings, and songs going off to notify you that an app has been updated can be overwhelming—and automatically starts triggering emotions, especially if you can't answer it immediately.
Have your teen choose three apps (or whatever you are comfortable with) for sounds. The others they can manually check periodically.
3. Set daily device-free time. Whether it's meal (breakfast or dinner) time, before bedtime, or one to two hours in the afternoon or morning, develop a schedule when no one is staring at screens. On weekends, create family activities that don't involve screens. Keep in mind that this includes the parents, too.
4. Create boundaries with a technology contract. Did you know teenagers want someone to impose screen time limits on them? As mentioned earlier, the train did leave the station, and it's hard to get it back, but as a parent, you still have the power to lead the ship.
Sit down together as a family, discuss what they consider to be fair as a starting point, and begin your negotiations from there. Allowing them to be part of the conversation also helps them better understand the consequences they will have when breaking the rules (boundaries).
5. Importance of sleep. Adolescents are known for staying up all night, scrolling their social feeds, binging, or even gaming. However, this is extremely unhealthy and can have a profound impact on their emotional health and academics.
A safe or lockbox is one of the best investments for your child's mental well-being. Choose a time at night when devices will be secured until the morning. This can help you improve your teen's sleep, which typically improves other areas of their life, like school.
In conclusion, as parents, we need our young people to understand better that learning a healthy balance of screen time benefits all of us; as both adults and teenagers, we need to start managing our online lives successfully for our mental wellness.
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