How To Set Smart Phone Limits for Teens and Children

You and your child should view their phone as a “business phone.”

This past weekend I went to a parent orientation at my son’s high school. Big crowds and 4 hours of sessions are not usually my thing, but I knew I needed to be there. And I was so thankful I was. The first 60 minutes the administrators and school counselors coached hundreds of parents on the use of the ALMIGHTY SMART PHONE. First off they told us, your child should view their phone as a business phone. I love this idea and from the beginning we’ve told our children, “The phones are ours, we’re just letting you use them”. The other valuable premise behind this idea is that a phone is there to help us get things done, it is not what makes us who we are.

The school counselor went on to explain that all the research is showing us a high correlation between Smart Phone usage and depression, anxiety, and stress. The more a child uses a phone the more anxious, depressed, and stressed out they will be.

The counselors did not stop there, they told us about the terrible sleep patterns kids develop if they have a phone in their room at night (I would also add porn addictions). Not only does a phone mess with a kids sleep if it’s in their room, it will certainly mess with thier ability to focus on homework if it is not locked away during study times.

I know for some parents all of this might be bad news. But, the parents i was sitting with were thrilled! We now had more authority, research, and a community backing us to take a powerful stand. We all want our children to thrive, be well adjusted, and make healthy decisions. By putting the phones away at bedtime and study time we are cultivating a safe and more productive environment .

Limits that let our children know, you are free to learn, don’t worry about the world around you for a few hours. You are free to sleep, dream away, and let those precious bodies grow. And you are free to focus on homework, concentrating in order to learn something new will enlarge your brain and your heart far more that SnapChat.

Best of luck parents! We are in this together!

P.S. The very day I wrote this post my teenager did homework with his phone cuddled up next to him and I totally forgot to put it in the drawer! No shame friends, I’ve got a long way to go!