Screen use and youth continue to be a hot topic among families I work with. Whether it is the amount of time youth spend on their phones or the content that they’re viewing, parents frequently have concerns. In the below article, I will list a few strategies families can use to keep their screen time in check. – Sawyer Franklin, LCSW

  1. NO SCREENS IN THE BEDROOM: Keep screens out of your teen’s bedroom at night. Many teens will succumb to the temptation of scrolling through social media or texting their friends late into the night. These habits disturb sleep, which is essential to your youth’s mental and physical health. Address this issue by ensuring phones and other screens are charging overnight out of the teen’s bedroom.
  2. COMMUNICATE ABOUT CONTENT: While some of the content on the internet can be fun, prosocial, and/or educational, other content is inappropriate or unhelpful for your teen to access. Encourage critical thinking about the accuracy of the material they find and its reliability by checking in with your youth about what they are viewing. Encourage healthy habits, especially related to social media
  3. SCREEN-FREE ZONES: Model healthy screen habits for your teen. Implement screen-free zones or times in your household. For example, the dinner table can be a great place to have a screen-free zone for every member of your home. A teen is more likely to buy into limiting their screen usage if they see parents implement similar strategies.
  4. CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Establish a clear and consistent system to ensure that rules around screen use are adhered to by your teen. Make certain that if consequences or rewards are stated by parents, they are consistently and reasonably implemented.

Sawyer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in supporting pre-adolescents, adolescents, and young adults to cope with ADHD, anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, trauma, and life transitions. Additionally, Sawyer is experienced in supporting the mental health of LGBTQIA+ youth.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Sawyer, please call or email our office at contact@sdkidsfirst.com // 858-692-4187 and we will be happy to help!