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5 Tips To Decrease Your Teen’s Phone Use In 2023

Does your child have anxiety?

While you can give them Brillia anxiety medication, some of their symptoms may stem from too much screen time, which includes mobile phones.

Many parents buy their teenagers’ phones because they are at an age where they are gone from home frequently.

Therefore, giving them a phone is a way of keeping track of them and ensuring they have a way of reaching you. Unfortunately, once a teen has a cell phone, they rarely put it down.

Reducing screen time is paramount to mental health and well-being.

The question is how do you control your child’s screen without causing too much frustration?

5 Tips To Decrease Your Teen's Phone Use In 2023

1. Set Rigid Time Limits

Anyone familiar with anxiety or ADHD symptoms in 14 year olds knows the challenges parents and teens face. Adjusting screen time can help to reduce symptoms of such conditions.

Too many parents make the mistake of making compromises when setting phone times. Your children are not in a position to negotiate. You set the limits.

Now, you still need to ensure those limits are realistic and fair, making some room for exceptions.

2. Swap Out Screen Time for Hands-On Activities They Enjoy

If you do not want to set strict time limits, you can have your child swap out screen time for things they enjoy doing.

For example, if your child likes playing sports or board games, use the activities as rewards for giving up phone time. Or, do not permit phones during such activities.

3. Make Screen Time a Privilege

You can also make screen time and phone use a privilege. For example, if your child does well on an exam or completes their household chores, you can allow them to use their phone for so many minutes.

As phone use is a privilege, it is not something they should feel entitled to. They must earn the right to use the device.

4. Have Screen-Free Days and Activities

As a family, decide on screen-free days and activities. For example, you may want to make family mealtimes screen-free.

Also, you may find it beneficial to have the whole family put their phones away at a specific time during the night, like one hour before bed.

Dedicating activities and days to being device-free puts a greater priority on family rather than tech.

It also helps your children detach from tech and rationalize it as a tool, not a necessity.

5. Be a Good Role Model

Too many parents live by the adage, “do as I say, not as I do.” That is not the way children or families work. If you want your children to obey the rules, you must set a good example.

If you are unwilling to follow your own rules, why should they take them seriously? It is possible to help your teen decrease their dependence on screens and phones.

If they are experiencing tech-induced anxiety, you can start them on an OTC medication like Brillia.

However, before you do, talk to their doctor about Brillia medication side effects and other treatment options.

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