The season of spring break is upon us. With it comes the issue of what to do with your unstructured days. Let’s face it, so often down time has become screen time.
Are you a goal setting family? Start out the week with a clear picture of what you want screen time to look like during the break. Then, ask your kids what are their goals for their time off. Get specific about screen time. Ask them what they would like to do on screens during the week, and how much time they think they’ll need. Together you can make an agreement that you both feel good about. Just having the conversation will get your kids thinking more realistically and less robotically about their devices.
You may want to have your kids help with chores and errands during the downtime. How do you get them to do things they don’t feel energized and motivated about? One woman I spoke with last week told me how happy she was when she realized how using screen time as a reward with her daughter worked so well to get her to practice the violin.
This is a very common, and often, effective scenario. Clean your room or do your homework or take out the trash… then you can have screen time.
Some, however, believe using screen time as a reward is not a good thing. The people at ReStart, the program for internet addiction that was featured in Screenagers, believe dangling screen time as a reward creates, even more, focus on screen time.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Register your interest in bringing our new movie to your school or community
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Register your interest in bringing our new movie to your school or community
As we’re about to celebrate 10 years of Screenagers, we want to hear what’s been most helpful and what you’d like to see next.
Please click here to share your thoughts with us in our community survey. It only takes 5–10 minutes, and everyone who completes it will be entered to win one of five $50 Amazon vouchers.
The season of spring break is upon us. With it comes the issue of what to do with your unstructured days. Let’s face it, so often down time has become screen time.
Are you a goal setting family? Start out the week with a clear picture of what you want screen time to look like during the break. Then, ask your kids what are their goals for their time off. Get specific about screen time. Ask them what they would like to do on screens during the week, and how much time they think they’ll need. Together you can make an agreement that you both feel good about. Just having the conversation will get your kids thinking more realistically and less robotically about their devices.
You may want to have your kids help with chores and errands during the downtime. How do you get them to do things they don’t feel energized and motivated about? One woman I spoke with last week told me how happy she was when she realized how using screen time as a reward with her daughter worked so well to get her to practice the violin.
This is a very common, and often, effective scenario. Clean your room or do your homework or take out the trash… then you can have screen time.
Some, however, believe using screen time as a reward is not a good thing. The people at ReStart, the program for internet addiction that was featured in Screenagers, believe dangling screen time as a reward creates, even more, focus on screen time.
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The season of spring break is upon us. With it comes the issue of what to do with your unstructured days. Let’s face it, so often down time has become screen time.
Are you a goal setting family? Start out the week with a clear picture of what you want screen time to look like during the break. Then, ask your kids what are their goals for their time off. Get specific about screen time. Ask them what they would like to do on screens during the week, and how much time they think they’ll need. Together you can make an agreement that you both feel good about. Just having the conversation will get your kids thinking more realistically and less robotically about their devices.
You may want to have your kids help with chores and errands during the downtime. How do you get them to do things they don’t feel energized and motivated about? One woman I spoke with last week told me how happy she was when she realized how using screen time as a reward with her daughter worked so well to get her to practice the violin.
This is a very common, and often, effective scenario. Clean your room or do your homework or take out the trash… then you can have screen time.
Some, however, believe using screen time as a reward is not a good thing. The people at ReStart, the program for internet addiction that was featured in Screenagers, believe dangling screen time as a reward creates, even more, focus on screen time.
Hobbies offer benefits at every age, from helping children build a sense of self to giving retirees a renewed sense of purpose. The word traces back to the 1400s as a nickname for a small horse, later evolving into today's meaning of a pastime pursued for its own sake. Parents can spark interest by sharing their own hobby histories, building a family-history hobby list, and trying new activities together. Summer is an ideal time to lean into offline hobbies as an antidote to screen saturation.
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When kids break a rule, most parents default to handing down a consequence. But research on autonomy-supportive parenting shows that inviting kids to help decide the consequence leads to deeper learning, stronger accountability, and even kinder behavior toward others. Younger kids tend to overpunish themselves while teens often go easy, and both create natural openings for parents to guide the conversation. The goal isn't softer consequences. It's consequences that actually teach.
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Kids with ADHD benefit most when parents provide support at the exact moment behavior happens, a science-backed approach called "point of performance." Abruptly shifting from high-stimulation screen time to demanding tasks creates a "dopamine cliff," a brain chemistry drop that often shows up as resistance and conflict. Understanding both concepts helps parents smooth those transitions and build real skills and confidence in their kids over time.
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.
