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7 Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Spend Less Time Online

Parents today are old enough to remember when you needed to be on a computer tethered to the wall to be online.

But these days, kids can surf the web while riding the bus, scroll through social media during recess,  and play multiplayer video games on field trips. 

With so much to see, do, and explore online, it’s no surprise most children with access to mobile devices insist on never putting them down.

But grown-ups know the potential harm that can cause. As such, we should help our kids spend less time online.

7 Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Spend Less Time Online

We know it’s easier said than done. However, with the following seven suggestions, most parents should be able to successfully limit their child’s screen time going forward:

Talk it over first

It’s a bad idea to suddenly impose screen limits without warning.

Your kids will not take it well, resulting in resistance, frustration, and efforts to get online behind your back whenever possible.

Instead, start with a discussion about how everyone in the house needs to cut back on screen time.

Get a sense of what drives your children to spend so much time online, then take steps to address those issues before enacting limits.

For instance, many kids use the internet to escape stress and anxiety at school.

By learning how to help someone with anxiety, you can provide sensible alternatives before taking drastic action.

Lead by example

Growing up, did your parents ever say, “do as I say, not as I do”? Did it ever work?

We didn’t think so. The same applies today; parents who tell their kids to put their phones down while endlessly scrolling on their own devices are not setting a good example.

Moreover, making it a family-wide rule will make the change more palatable to small kids.

While we’re not recommending you ignore calls from your boss to prove a point, leading by example will go a long way in helping kids spend less time online and more time enjoying real life.

Offer alternatives

It’s not enough to simply tell kids to get offline and do something else. Parents need to think of things for their children to do.

Come up with a list of at least ten different things your kids can enjoy that don’t involve their phones or any other devices.

The choices can include things like riding bikes, playing street soccer, gardening, reading, writing, and drawing.

Register and reward offline time

Encourage your children to keep track of all offline activities they do.

Follow up with weekly incentives for reaching certain thresholds.

For instance, spending six hours reading throughout the week should equal something special like an ice cream treat on Saturday.

Set screen time schedules

An easy way to limit your child’s time online is to schedule screen time. However, this doesn’t do much to encourage children to do things offline.

Scheduling screen time is more of an enforcement mechanism.

With that said, children may be more receptive to the idea of abiding by offline time if they know they’ll get a block of time to go online.

7 Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Spend Less Time Online

Enforce boundaries

There are certain times when being on your phone is inappropriate and impolite.

Parents shouldn’t feel bad about enforcing screen time limits in these situations.

For instance, make a no-device rule for the dinner table. The same should go for family movie night and any other instance where phones are a distraction.

Be open to adjustment

From meeting homework deadlines to watching all-important late-night video releases from their favorite live streamers, kids will have reasons for wanting to bend the rules on screen time.

Some will be more understanding than others, but parents should be open to occasionally lifting the rules.

Establish a system in which kids have to submit a formal request for extra screen time, complete with space to explain why it’s important.

You may not always approve, but providing the option lets them know their voices are heard.

For those raising children in the 21st century, mobile devices are both a godsend and a bane.

Smartphones and tablets help us stay connected with our loved ones, providing peace of mind and security.

On the other hand, it seems like the only thing kids want to do these days is be on their phones! The best thing parents can do is set boundaries and offer alternatives.

From there, the hope is children learn there’s a lot more to life than what’s happening online.

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