I scream, you scream, we all scream for…screen time. After all, who wants ice cream that lasts 5 minutes when you can have endless hours of entertainment on your smartphone, tablet and computer?
Nothing sends us Moms round the bend like hearing our child whine and moan, scream and screech — demanding time on their devices. Yes, we know about the health risks, but the risk to our own sanity is also very real.
Fortunately, 8 brave Mom’s revealed their biggest screen time fears and we gave them the answers they needed to put that screen time monster to bed once and for all.
“I’m just not very good with technology.”
We hear you Mom! Our generation didn’t grow up with smartphones and iPads. By the time we’d wrapped our head around it all, technology was already light years ahead.
Just because your kids are more tech-savvy it doesn’t mean you’re not in charge of their tech. As Noel-Janis Norton says, “you have the wisdom and judgement they need to be able to manage their tech wisely”.
Start with one of these simple rules and you can build from there.
“It’s too late to introduce screen time rules.”
Even if you’re looking at teenagers that have spent the last five years absorbed in their screen world, it is never too late to introduce screen time rules. Now, that doesn’t mean it won’t cause some controversy in the house!
Start off by having a conversation in a neutral location and ask your kids what they would like you all to do differently at home. You might be surprised. 37% said they tried to cut down on their screen time because they knew they were addicted, according to this CNN article.
“My kids would just ignore any screen time rules.”
Your little tech titan might think they rule the roost, but they actually enjoy routine and rules. In fact, there are 3 tech rules kids which you would follow when it comes to screens at home.
All you have to do is start with one little goal your child is likely to do anyway and recognise their efforts. As soon as they start getting positive reinforcement for following the rules, they’ll start accepting more rules.
“I don’t want to pay for a screen time solution!”
Investing in a new piece of software can always be a bit of an “umm, ahh” decision, whether you’re a stay-at-home Mom or a Wall Street investor. All you’ve got to do is balance the pros against the cons. Will peace of mind, consistent rules and automated time limits be worth it?
The answer: it is! But if you need time to decide for yourself, most solutions give you a free trial period. Our advice is to make the absolute most of this time and try all the features. Tell your kids it’s an experiment you need their opinion on. That way they’ll participate!
“A tech problem shouldn’t need a tech solution.”
In an ideal world, we would love our kids to listen to us when we say “put down your phone!”. But when you’re juggling multiple kids, homework where they do need the laptop and trying to keep track of organic screen time limits, it can be too much.
A screen time app that can help you manage these expectations just makes one parenting job a little bit easier. It’s OK to need help, and in a digital world it makes sense to use technology for good.
“It’s just not the right time to introduce a new routine.”
Screen time might seem like this huge challenge that you have to tackle, and where are you going to get the time for that?! Perhaps it just never feels like the right moment to bring up screen time rules. But all you have to do is make one little step.
Here are the 5 steps it takes to get on the road to screen time success. All you have to do is complete step 1 today. Then you can go from there!
“It’s not screen time that I’m worried about, it’s my child…”
Every kid is different, so every screen time challenge will be different. But even for kids who really struggle to disconnect from their screens, you CAN find an app that can help. Look for apps that tackle your particular problem. If you’re not sure exactly what that is, take our screen score quiz to help!
“I’ve tried a screen time app and it doesn’t work.”
We know that every family will handle screen time differently. Some won’t need a screen time app. Some will just need a button that pauses the internet. Others will want to help their kid’s balance screen time with schoolwork and tasks around the house.
And you may not find the perfect screen time solution the first time. There will be trial and error as you figure out what works best for you. But the only way to know is to try!
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Have you got a screen time fear we haven’t mentioned here? Get in touch! We might be able to help!