Teenagers (and often adults) have complex relationships with technology that are impacted by so many things (friends, peer pressure, technological advances, developmental stages, etc).
Teenagers now have never known life without the internet, cell phones, social media, or computers. They are growing up surrounded by technology and use it every day at school, at home, and to communicate with their friends and family.
Researchers have studied various aspects of teens and technology use, with mixed results and opinions. Some say that spending so much time with technology, smart phones, and social media has profoundly impacted their mental health. Some will say that there is not a link between the two. However, most can agree that technology is here to stay, and that it is critical to help them develop healthy relationships with technology.
Here are a few strategies to help your teen with this:
- Set limits: This can look like screen time limits and no technology zones (like bedtime, family time, during meals). The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day for teens.
- Be mindful of content: As the parent, you may have to set firm boundaries about the type of content that they are allowed to access online. As you discuss this with your teen, it is important to educate them on reliable sources, avoiding clickbait, and ensuring that the information they are consuming is adding value to their life.
- Promote and practice digital citizenship: This involves so many things: knowing how to navigate technology, being aware of cybersecurity threats and protecting personal information, treating others online with respect and dignity, using critical thinking skills and understanding the credibility of information consumed, recognizing and understanding the digital footprint they are leaving, and understanding how to have safe online relationships.
- Prioritize sleep and physical activity: It is easy to get sucked into online content and stay up too late. Encourage your teen to have a consistent bedtime routine and level of physical activity.
- Engage in offline hobbies and activities: Encourage and allow your teen to have activities and hobbies that are not online (sports, reading, art, etc).
- Develop and maintain real-life friendships and connections: Life happens off-line more frequently that it does on-line. Encourage and support in-person friendships and activities.
- Lead by example: It is not really fair to ask your teen to do something that you aren’t willing to do. If you want them to stop texting at the dinner table, then it is important to put your phone down and wait to respond until after dinner is over.
- Open communication: Communication is key, and it is critical to develop a judgement-free environment in which your teen can come to you with any questions or concerns about technology. Ask them open ended questions, let them know what your expectations and monitoring activities around their usage will be, and educate them about online safety.
It is important to understand that technology plays a significant role in your teen’s life and it’s natural for them to want to explore and engage with digital platforms. Technology is unavoidable, and helping them find a balance between screen time and other activities is critical.