Parenting Decoded
Parenting Decoded
73 - Navigating the Summer Screen Time Struggle
Summer break intensifies the screen time battle with teens and tweens, but shifting from screen time enforcer to screen time strategist can transform your approach and relationship with your kids.
You should head over to the Screenagers website for the full blog post "Screen Time and Parental Controls: Simple Tips for a Smoother Summer." but I'm including a brief synopsis in this podcast to help entice you to do that.
Key Steps for a Smooth Screen Summer:
• Trust and verify instead of secretly spying on your children's digital activities
• Maintain ongoing conversations about screen time rather than relying solely on parental controls
• Show grace and compassion when technology rules are broken
• Approach parental controls as experiments to be adjusted, not perfect solutions
• Keep all technology out of bedrooms – perhaps the single most effective strategy
• Involve kids in setting up guidelines to increase their investment in the process
Screenagers has lots of amazing additional resources to help your family navigate the digital world. Check it out!
Email me at info@parentingdecoded.com or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.
Have a blessed rest of your day!
Welcome to Parenting Decoded, the podcast for practical approaches to parenting. I'm Mary Eschen.
Mary Eschen:has summer hit you like a wave of TikTok scrolling and video game thrashing? School's barely out and the screen time battle is already heating up, especially if you're parenting teens or tweens. It's enough to make you want to skip straight to September, isn't it? But take a breath, don't panic. I've found a fantastic resource that can help you shift from screen time enforcer to screen time strategist. It's from the amazing folks at Screenagers, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families navigate the digital world. You may have seen their powerful films in your community. If not, I highly recommend them. Their latest blog post, screen Time and Parental Controls Simple Tips for a Smoother Summer, is packed with realistic, research-backed ideas, and I love it! Seriously, it's worth the read. But in case you're in the car folding laundry or hiding in the pantry for five minutes apiece, let me give you a quick summary.
Mary Eschen:Number one: trust and verify. No secret spying. Set up agreed-upon guidelines with your kids, then check in together to see how it's going. If something's not working, adjust, don't ambush. Two
Mary Eschen:Two: keep the conversation going. Parental controls are helpful, but real connection happens through conversation. Take a few minutes to talk, not argue about what's working and what's not offline and online in your lives.
Mary Eschen:Three: show grace. Lots of it. Mistakes will happen, tech rules will be broken, but instead of going into panic or punishment mode, take a step back, breathe and reset with compassion for them and for yourself
Mary Eschen:. Four: think like a researcher. I really like this one. Use parental controls as an experiment, not a fix-all. Try something, observe tweak. Involve your kids in the setup. When they're part of the process, they're more likely to stay on board. And my personal favorite tip keep tech out of bedrooms. No phones, tablets or laptops, just a dumb old alarm clock. It might be the single most powerful screen habit you can enforce. If this has sparked some new ideas, I hope you'll head over to the Screenagers website and check out the full blog post. There's a link in my podcast notes. Feel free to check out their other great resources while you're at it. That's it for today. May your summer be filled with more sunshine than screen glare. Until next time, keep decoding, parenting, one screen battle at a time. Have a blessed rest of your day.