One of the biggest complaints parents make about their teens is the
amount of time they spend on smartphones. Parents are concerned,
sometimes angry and try to place limits. However, I often think that
most parents have more significant smartphone abuse issues than their
teens.
1. The number one area in which smartphone abuse by parents has worse consequences than smartphone abuse by teens is in putting your phone ahead of live people
you are with. You are probably shouting that your teen does that much
more than you. However, we are talking about consequences, not time.
Here are my reasons:
- Teens - During the teenage years, teens mostly want to be with their friends. Even before cellphones, they often spent little time talking with family. So having cellphones hasn't really changed how much they talk to you.
- Parents - During those times when your teens are around, you don't want to miss it. I know it sounds like a double standard, but that is the way it is with parents and kids. Parents always need to hear what their kids, both teens and children, have to say. You never know what you might miss.
- Friends - When adults are out with friends and are on their cellphone, it is just plain rude. However, as much as I don't like it, when teens are together, they are all on the phones, so nobody is rude, it is a way of life.
2. Do you ever drive and talk on your phone, or worse yet, text and drive? If
so, please try to put an end to it as it is extremely dangerous, and
could be deadly. Do you ever do either of these things with your kids or
teens in the car? Kids model what parents do. So the consequences of
these smartphone actions can be very significant because they are
learning that it is okay from you.
3. If you have an online business or blog, I know how tempting it is to keep checking and posting on social media. However, if you do so during meal and family times, your kids just see spending more time on your phone.
I just found a new app called Moment. What does Moment do? It automatically tracks how much you use your phone everyday.
If you are trying to cut down on your cellphone use, you can set a time
limit, and the Moment app will alert you when you reach it. Right now
it is only available for the iPhone but it will be available for Android shortly. Moment costs $5 in the app store.
Once
you set up the app, you never need to go into it again. Moment does not
shut your phone off when you reach your limit. It only notifies you. It
even gives you a nudge first, when you are getting close to your limit.
Do you think you will be surprised to see just how much time you really
spend on your phone each day? Maybe you should also get the app for
your teen's phone and compare the amount of time you each spend daily.
Although, don't forget, this isn't about time, but consequences.
