By India McCarty
Most kids want to be just like Mom and Dad, but when it comes to screen use, that can be a major problem.
“One of the biggest predictors of adolescents’ screen use is their parents’ screen use,” Jason Nagata, a pediatrician at the University of California at San Francisco and the lead author of a recent study looking into the links between parent and child phone use, told The Washington Post.
Experts frequently warn parents about the kind of behavior they’re modeling for their children, especially when it comes to the amount of time you might spend on your devices.
“From early on in development, children spontaneously imitate the complex actions of others, a capacity that increases steadily with age,” a paper published by the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology explained.
Essentially, if your kid constantly sees you focused on a phone or tablet, they will start spending all their time with a screen.
In addition to behavior-modeling, parents’ phone use can also impact their child’s development and mental health.
“Parental techno-reference [is a] regular disruption of face-to-face interactions between parents and children due to the use of a screen device,” a study authored by researchers from Estonia’s Institute of Psychology stated, adding that it “has an impact on child mental health, family relationships, and children’s cognitive development.”
In an op-ed written by The Independent’s Helen Coffey, she urged parents to be conscious of their tech use and how it can affect the young people in their lives.
Related: You Can’t Expect to Limit Your Child’s Screentime Without Doing This First
“The way you behave in the world — including being surgically attached to your device — is inherently shaping the next generation,” she wrote.
Nagata agreed, encouraging parents to have a clear family plan surrounding phone use, as it can lead to health tech habits later in life.
“In a few years, they will be older adolescents, and once they’re 18, they are able to make all these decisions on their own,” he said. “So you do want to teach them good practices that they can incorporate into their adult life.”
A good first step when it comes to putting together a plan is committing to phone-free mealtimes and bedtimes.
“Of the different parenting practices that we examined, the one that had the most significant effect was limiting bedtime screen use,” Nagata said. “So if you only choose one rule to implement, that may be the most effective one for reducing total screen time.”
If you want your child to unplug and step back from their screens, it’s important to do the same yourself. Both you and your kids will benefit from the time spent offline!
Read Next: How to Limit Screen Time This Summer
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