Teens and phones.
There.
I said it.
It’s buzzing all around us.
It’s a thing and teens right now are the first generation to be born with cell phones in this world and still dinging and updating their way into the future. Technology provides us with the positives of social connection and staying in touch with social connections. The downside of losing that balance can lead to eye strain, poor posture, lack of motivation and disrupted sleep patterns in the lives of teens.
It can also lead to addiction, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
That's why it's important to educate parents and teens on how to maintain a healthy balance between screen time and other activities, such as physical exercise, socializing, and spending time outdoors.
Let's take you through a few tips to help reduce screen time.
1. Set app limits.
This can help establish healthy habits around phone use and improve our teenager's overall well-being.
2. Turn off notifications.
This can help eliminate distractions and increase productivity for them. FOMO is real... so this will take some time to get used to.
3. Delete apps.
Do they need all the apps currently on their phone or tablet? Try deleting some. They can always get them back later.
4. Pick a hobby.
If teenagers have nothing else to do, will most likely opt for screen time.
5. Turn on Grey Scale.
From time to time, you can actually help your teens turn their phone or tablet display to grey.
As a result, this will remove all the beautiful colors from their screen. Why is this successful in curving their phone addiction? Because now they’ve lost their visual appeal.
6. Make it a game.
Many teens seek out opportunities to be challenged and improve their skills. Gaming offers a way to achieve mastery. That's why most opt for it.
So get your teenagers curious to see how low they can get their screen time each day, with rewards and accomplishments along the way.
A big part of being a teen is establishing greater freedom and independence.
Help your teens create a routine and schedule around screen time that allows them to be in charge of it.
With your guidance, they design a game of rules they want to play by.
Encourage flexibility and trials. If something doesn't work, try something else. And, try again. This is a work in progress.
Research credited to Teen Coaching Academy
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