We see it all the time, children hunched over on their phones texting, tweeting, or simply unlocking their phones for no apparent reason. It’s a concerning problem, especially considering the effect excessive phone usage can have on their grades, their lifestyles, and their health. Common Sense Media recently did an eye-opening study on the societal issue, and found that of those teenagers that were surveyed, 50% felt they were addicted to their phone. They also surveyed parents, and found that 59% of parents felt their children were addicted to their phones. The survey sampled 1,240 people, half of those were parents, the other half teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 who were living at home. With a margin of error at 4%, the study is fairly reliable as a basis for just how much children are addicted to their phones. In another survey in 2018, it was discovered that of those surveyed, 66% of 6-12 year-olds have their own smartphone or tablet, and 93% of children in that age range have access to a smartphone or tablet.
“Mobile devices are fundamentally changing how families go about day-to-day lives, be it doing homework, driving, or having dinner together,” – James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense
How do I help my children with his/her phone addiction?
- Start enabling parental controls, for example, YouTube has a parental controls section that can limit the amount of time your children spend on the video app. If you feel the need for more extreme restrictions, most modern mobile phones come with their own parental controls. For example, the Pixel line of phones by Google have a comprehensive suite of limits that can be imposed on any installed app.
- Other than limiting time with parental controls, you can also prevent them from seeing anything too violent or pornographic.
- Play with your child, to occupy their time with something non-screen-related. This can be something simple, like reading a book to them, or playing a board game like Monopoly (though keep in mind not to get too competitive).
- Arrange playdates for your child, that don’t involve using the family/their tablet or phone
- Go on a camping trip, or other outdoor adventure! Keeping them away from the WiFi (and any wireless internet) would limit their ability to use their phone. They can’t watch YouTube without any internet! (this doesn’t apply if they downloaded a video, of course)
An important note:
We frequently see youth on social media, communicating with friends over Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or many other apps like them. It’s vital, especially in younger children, that they have plenty of face-to-face interaction with other people, in order to gain experience with non-verbal communication. Too much social media usage can negatively affect children, as this deprives them of the opportunity for more physical, real-world, interaction.
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