what to do instead of screen time teens

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Without adult guidance, most teenagers would spend almost all of their waking hours behind a screen. Whether they're texting on their smartphones, or they're watching videos on their laptops, their electronics use can hands go out of control.

If your child says "everyone is doing it," they may exist correct. But that doesn't mean there aren't serious consequences. Let's look at strategies you tin can employ to limit your teen's screen time and how it can do good your whole family unit.

The New Norm

The majority of screen hours are spent "media multitasking," pregnant teens are using more than 1 medium at a time—like watching TV and scrolling through social media simultaneously.

A 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation constitute that eight- to 18-year-one-time children devote an average of seven hours and 38 minutes to entertainment media each 24-hour interval.

The total time is the equivalent of more than than 53 hours per week or 2770 hours each year.

The majority of these screen hours are spent "media multitasking," meaning teens are using more than one medium at a fourth dimension—like watching Telly and scrolling through social media simultaneously. When the study accounted for the children's multi-tasking efforts, they found that teens are actually exposed to nearly 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content each day.

Consequences

Too much screen time has been linked to a diversity of problems. Excessive electronic employ raises the risk of obesity, interferes with social activities and family fourth dimension, and takes a toll on a teen's mental health.

In dissimilarity, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics institute that parental monitoring of a child'south media apply can have protective benefits on his bookish, social, and physical outcome. Taking the fourth dimension to strategize on how to set up limits is very worth your time (and the resistance you will get) as a parent.

Tips

Knowing that parents can make a difference for their child by limiting screen use, what tin you exercise? What strategies accept helped other parents implement and enforce these rules?

Every child is dissimilar, and ane strategy may piece of work better for i child than another. That said, we hope that at to the lowest degree a few of these 10 techniques volition assist y'all set good for you limits for your own child.

Make Screen Time a Privilege

One of the ways in which screen time has changed dramatically in recent years is that it's oft felt to be more than of a right than a privilege. If you grew up watching the four channels available, you may have felt fortunate to watch a cartoon on Saturday morning. The combination of having simply almost anything available on a screen 24/seven places more pressure on parents to say when a child can and cannot have screen time.

Make it clear that screen time is a privilege that needs to be earned. At start, this may be difficult. But the lessons from learning to delay the gratification of screen time and command her impulses volition stay with your child for a long time.

Also, make it clear that the privilege of screen time tin can be taken away at any time. Teach your teen to do homework and chores first, before he turns on the Tv set or plays on the computer.

Office Model Healthy Habits

Telling your teen to shut off his electronics while you're sitting in front of the TV isn't likely to be effective. Teens volition learn more from what yous do than what yous say.

Be a good office model past limiting your ain screen time.

Allow your child encounter you make the option between looking something up on Google or checking the score of a game. Show her how you lot have learned treat media every bit a privilege.

Discourage Multitasking

Most teens think they're pretty skilful at multitasking. They try to text bulletin while doing their homework or use social media while talking on the phone. If your child has a phone, you lot're probably all also familiar with their justifications for doing so.

Discourage your teen from doing 2 things at in one case and hash out how multitasking actually interferes with productivity.

Establish Clear Rules

Most teens, specially younger teens, aren't mature enough to handle free reign with their electronics. Found rules that will go on your teen prophylactic and help your teen make good choices with video games, cell phones, TVs, and computers.

Examples of good rules include having a set time when screens demand to be turned off at night and removing screens from bedrooms.

Encourage Physical Activeness

Encourage your teen to get some practise. Going for a walk, playing a game of catch, or even doing some thou work tin can ensure your teen will get the concrete activity she needs. Call back of activities you can enjoy as a family and then it seems less similar exercising.

Does your family like hiking? Consider geocaching, an activity (often on hiking trails) in which families hide or hunt for objects using GPS. (A geocache is a container which may contain toys and other treasures). Some families savour tennis. Others savour going to the local rock climbing gym.

Concrete activities not simply enforce time away from screens but are beneficial for your child physically and socially besides.

Educate Your Teen

Have frequent conversations about various aspects of media. Discuss how advertisements often try to convince young people that certain products will make them more attractive or more popular. Hash out the dangers of too much violence exposure and assistance them acquire how to exist an informed viewer.

Electronics-Complimentary Mealtimes

Close off your Idiot box during mealtimes and don't let text messaging or web surfing while you're eating. Instead, use the opportunity to talk almost your twenty-four hour period. You may be hearing more and more about how family dinners tin can make child's lives better. Don't allow screens cheat your family out of this priceless fourth dimension.

Screen-Free Days

Every once in awhile it can be helpful to have a screen-gratis solar day. You might even consider a longer digital detox—similar a week-long vacation from electronics twice a year. Information technology'south a great way to ensure that everyone still has plenty of activities that don't involve electronics.

Schedule Family Activities

Involve everyone in activities that don't involve electronics. Whether you lot play a board game or get for a family unit hike, make information technology clear that during your time together there won't be any electronic use.

Hold Family unit Meetings

Schedule a family unit meeting to hash out screen time use. Allow your teen to requite input almost the screen time rules. Address problems and trouble-solving together. Get in clear that you want everyone in the family to develop a salubrious relationship with electronics.

If y'all've never had a family unit meeting, in that location are adept resources available on how to hold successful family unit meetings, such every bit making certain every family member has the opportunity to share his thoughts.

Benefits of Limitations

The studies discussed before tell us some of the hazards of backlog screen time and how monitoring and limiting the use of electronics improve outcomes for kids academically, socially, and physically. Yet the benefits of limiting screen time might seem even more than existent to you if you lot call back almost what children miss out on when they are behind a screen.

Considering that the average teen spends most 3000 hours a year behind a screen, what else could they be doing?

Ideas for Non-Screen Activities

Some things a child can do instead of looking at a screen include:

Communicate with parents and siblings
Socialize with friends
Read books
Be creative and employ her imagination
Play outside and enjoy nature
Exercise homework
Carry out family chores
Get plenty rest

Accept a moment and recollect of some of the activities you enjoyed growing upwards and how it would be different today. Don't let your child miss out on those opportunities.

Have a United Front

Limiting screen fourth dimension is all well and good as long as parents work together. Studies have institute that interparent conflict (conflict between parents) in setting these limits is associated with a kid having more than conflict in his or her relationships. It may also result in greater exposure to media violence.

Before setting media limits with your child make certain you work together with your partner and so you can present these rules equally a united team. For parents who aren't together, this tin can be more than difficult. If you lot are facing this, effort to see that uniting (even if divorced or otherwise separated) is important for the health of your kid.

Information technology might be helpful to sit down down with a third political party such as a therapist to await at means in which you tin can compromise so that your child has their screen fourth dimension limited but without making it an area of contention between parents.

A Give-and-take From Verywell

It's quite articulate that excessive screen time can be damaging to our children academically and from both a physical and psychological standpoint. At the aforementioned time, screen time is causing our children to miss out on many activities which are important in nurturing the family and friendships.

Try some of the strategies listed here to reduce your child'southward screen time. If you need something positive to counteract the resistance you will become from your child, keep track of the activities which supplant screen fourth dimension. You may be pleasantly surprised. Electronics and screens aren't going away someday in the nearly future, and there are positive aspects to their use likewise.

Equally parents, we can teach our children to use these screens as an nugget which is a privilege. rather than a correct that is detrimental.

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Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/strategies-limit-your-teens-screen-time-2608915