By Mallory Mattingly
Do parents think children’s mental health is getting worse? According to a national poll from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, 83% say yes, and increased screen time can play a major role in a child’s mental wellbeing.
Thankfully, there’s hope, and expert Catherine Price has a few tips parents can implement to help wean their kids from devices and excessive screentime.
First, Price told CNBC, model the kinds of “habits you want your kids to exhibit.”
“It’ll be easier to limit your kids’ screentime if they see you trying to work on your own habits, too,” she explained.
Children look to their parents as examples of how to live, so teaching them good screentime habits through your example is powerful.
Related: Set Your Child Up for Success With These Screen Time Facts
“Think about the person you want your child to become,” writer and educator Theo Wolf wrote for CNBC’s Make It. “Ask yourself: Am I demonstrating those traits in front of them? Is there anything I’m doing that opposes the values I want to pass on?”
The second change? Invest in shared family phones.
Instead of each child having their own phone, consider allowing all of your children can share one device. This will help break up the screen time between each child.
Price also suggested using a landline to help children learn to communicate with others. For parents who want to reach their kids at an after-school activity or friend’s house, a flip phone could be a good option.
“They take it, they use it, they give it back,” Price explained.
Lastly, having your child pay for their own smartphone is another way to limit screentime. It gives them an “if you want it, you have to work for it” mentality. This may encourage them think twice about wanting a new phone once they see how much a typical smartphone costs.
Price said if they know they are paying for their phone, “they probably won’t get one until they’re 25.”
To help children understand the dangers of devices, Price and Jonathan Haidt penned a graphic novel called The Amazing Generation.
According to the description, it’s “packed with surprising facts, interactive challenges, secrets that tech leaders don’t want kids to know, and real-life anecdotes from young adults who regret getting smartphones at a young age and want to help the next generation avoid making the same mistakes.”
“We’re already hearing that kids are ‘devouring’ the book, fighting with siblings about who gets to read it first, and giving up Roblox on their own!” Haidt, who wrote The Anxious Generation as well, said of The Amazing Generation‘s success so far.
While dealing with excessive screentime can feel like an uphill battle, parents thankfully have many tools and tips that will make a big difference for their children.
Read Next: How to Set Screen Time Limits for You and Your Children
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