On Friday, The New York Times published a Letter to the Editor from me regarding my response to a recent article that builds a case of why parents don’t need to worry about their kids’ and teens’ phone use. It is not the first article to give that message.
Meanwhile, there are headlines about screen time that go way too far to the other side, saying things like how phones are destroying our kid’s mental health.
These types of claims are not only incorrect, but they work against the key thing we need to be doing—fostering calm and constructive conversations with our youth.
If you find my letter below helpful, please consider sharing it with others by forwarding this email or clicking here to share it on FB. Thank you for working with me to debunk harmful myths.
Here is the letter below. If you prefer, you can read it online at The New York Times here at (https://nyti.ms/3aXYx76).
To the Editor:
Re “The Menace of Screen Time Could Be More of a Mirage” (Business Day, Jan. 18):
Some headlines imply that smartphones are destroying a generation, while others say there is little to worry about. This debate does not help with the pressing question, What is a parent to do?
Excessive screen time can be a red flag that a teenager is having emotional struggles. Teenagers often go on screens to escape hard feelings. But short amounts of time can pose risks, too. It takes only a minute to experience online cruelty. Still, much of the time that teenagers are on screens, they do not experience negative things.
If we are overly scared, we put teenagers on the defensive, alienating them. If parents take the opposite approach and are hands-off, teenagers are also likely to disengage.
There are a few simple actions all parents can take to help their teenagers. Foster open conversations and stave off defensiveness by first acknowledging the important role that their phones play in their lives and then ask about the hard stuff.
Encourage them to be mindful of how their digital experiences make them feel. Address irrefutable problems like inadequate sleep by requiring phones out of their rooms at bedtime.
Simple steps like these can help guide parents away from paralysis from the academic debate to a path of better parenting.
Delaney Ruston
Seattle
The writer is a primary-care doctor and documentary filmmaker. Her latest film is “Screenagers: Next Chapter,” about raising emotionally healthy young people in the digital age.
Here are a few questions to open the conversation with your kids this week:
If you want to host a screening of the movie in your community, please fill out this form.
*We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and leave comments below.
February 3, 2020
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
On Friday, The New York Times published a Letter to the Editor from me regarding my response to a recent article that builds a case of why parents don’t need to worry about their kids’ and teens’ phone use. It is not the first article to give that message.
Meanwhile, there are headlines about screen time that go way too far to the other side, saying things like how phones are destroying our kid’s mental health.
These types of claims are not only incorrect, but they work against the key thing we need to be doing—fostering calm and constructive conversations with our youth.
If you find my letter below helpful, please consider sharing it with others by forwarding this email or clicking here to share it on FB. Thank you for working with me to debunk harmful myths.
Here is the letter below. If you prefer, you can read it online at The New York Times here at (https://nyti.ms/3aXYx76).
To the Editor:
Re “The Menace of Screen Time Could Be More of a Mirage” (Business Day, Jan. 18):
Some headlines imply that smartphones are destroying a generation, while others say there is little to worry about. This debate does not help with the pressing question, What is a parent to do?
Excessive screen time can be a red flag that a teenager is having emotional struggles. Teenagers often go on screens to escape hard feelings. But short amounts of time can pose risks, too. It takes only a minute to experience online cruelty. Still, much of the time that teenagers are on screens, they do not experience negative things.
If we are overly scared, we put teenagers on the defensive, alienating them. If parents take the opposite approach and are hands-off, teenagers are also likely to disengage.
There are a few simple actions all parents can take to help their teenagers. Foster open conversations and stave off defensiveness by first acknowledging the important role that their phones play in their lives and then ask about the hard stuff.
Encourage them to be mindful of how their digital experiences make them feel. Address irrefutable problems like inadequate sleep by requiring phones out of their rooms at bedtime.
Simple steps like these can help guide parents away from paralysis from the academic debate to a path of better parenting.
Delaney Ruston
Seattle
The writer is a primary-care doctor and documentary filmmaker. Her latest film is “Screenagers: Next Chapter,” about raising emotionally healthy young people in the digital age.
Here are a few questions to open the conversation with your kids this week:
If you want to host a screening of the movie in your community, please fill out this form.
*We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and leave comments below.
February 3, 2020
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Can parents really come together as communities to delay social media and smartphones? You bet! It’s happening more and more across the country. In today's blog, I share excerpts from my latest podcast episode. It features my interview with Brooke Shannon, the founder of the “Wait Until 8th movement,” which helps parents delay smartphones until the end of 8th grade or later while also encouraging delaying social media.
READ MORE >
I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you - our fourth Screenagers movie is set to release at the beginning of September! The film SCREENAGERS: Elementary School Age Edition, is tailored specifically for parents, students, and educators involved with elementary school-age children. We made this film because I believe we can change the trajectory of youth mental health if we address the impact of screen time as early as possible.
READ MORE >
Yesterday, I released a new Screenagers Podcast episode titled "From Junk Food to Social Media: How Teens Get Manipulated" In it, David Yeager, PhD, discusses a study on youth social media use and manipulation. Today's blog also features an excerpt on his intervention, reducing kids' sugary food intake by 30% for months.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
