Back to School Tech Reset

Can you believe it’s time to go back to school already? For many of us, it’s been 15 long, trying months of “survival parenting” through a pandemic, and we are excited for some semblance of normalcy to return to our lives. With the natural transition of “back-to-school” upon us, it’s a great time to hit the reset button on tech habits in our homes. Here are some tips that can help:

For younger kids (toddlers through elementary school):

1. Create a routine. Screentime should be predictable; it should happen at the same time every day. Once your kids get the hang of the routine, it will eliminate a lot of the daily struggles and the never-ending “Can I use the iPad now?” question. Use the routine to your advantage. Need 30 minutes of quiet in the morning to make lunches and get dressed? Screentime to the rescue! Just know that for little kids, time is pretty abstract. It’s more effective to create routines that are linked to other parts of their day (“right after snack time” or “after breakfast”).

2. Choose content that you feel good about and co-view as much as possible. Studies show that when parents talk to their kids about what they are watching, kids learn far more. In one study, preschoolers who watched Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood presented higher levels of empathy, self-efficacy (the belief they could do tasks independently), and higher levels of emotion recognition than children who watched a nature program (Rasmussen et al, 2016). The key factor that helped children learn from the show was whether or not parents talked about it with them. This does not mean that you need to watch the entire show with them; instead, ask a couple of key questions afterwards. Here are some questions to try:

“What happened in the show?”

“Has anything like that ever happened to you?”

“How do you think the character was feeling when that happened?”

For older kids (middle and high school):

1. Create a plan together. Older children and adolescents want to feel independent and respected. They are more likely to follow through on a plan that they’ve helped to create. Here are some guiding questions to help you create your plan:

-What brings you the most joy on your screen?

-What apps, games, or content do not make you feel good?

-How do you feel when you stop using your devices? 

- Do you think if you used them more/less those feelings would be different?

-What do you want to do more of “off-screen?” How can we make time for that?

2. Work with your teen to figure out his/her “optimal” amount of screentime for weekdays and weekends. A study of over 120,000 15 year olds conducted by the University of Oxford in England found that there is an “optimal time” of leisure media usage that helps teens feel socially connected and increases feelings of well-being, but does not take away from productivity or in-person activities. For most teenagers, this optimal time is between 1-2 hours on weekdays and 3-4 hours on weekends (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2017). Ask your teenager to estimate the amount of time they think is reasonable for them to spend on leisure screen activities and then check-in with them every week or two. Use the ScreenTime or Digital Wellbeing functions to gather data and then have an open, honest conversation about it. Questions to ask include:

-How much time do you think you spent on screens (outside of school) this week?

-How did you feel physically and emotionally?

-Do you think you need to make a change? If so, what kind of change?

3. Approach these conversations with your teen with openness and curiosity. For many teens, active social media use and gaming are sources of social connectedness. Although that may not be the case for you, be open to their experience and ask questions. You might be surprised by their insights and their honesty.

If you need support getting your family on the same page, reach out to us using the “Contact Us” form. We are always here to help!