Balancing the Real World with the Online World

As mentioned in our Children and Social Media post, social media usage is one of the most common activities of today’s children and adolescents and even for adults it has become part of our daily lives. With this, parents need to teach their children to have a healthy relationship with technology and social media. Kids do what they see their parents do, therefore, the best way to help children balance real-life and online-life is to set a great example.

• No technology before bed: Research on sleep has shown that the type of light coming through a cell phone, computer or iPad makes sleep more difficult. Avoid looking into that type of light at least 30 minutes to one of hour before bed. Encourage your kids to read paper books before sleeping. This is also a great rule for parents. Adequate sleep helps with frustration and poor mood.

• No technology during meals: This is a lot easier said than done since most of us tend to have our phone glued to our hand. It seems like we cannot be separated from our cell phone even during a family meal. There is little to no conversation between people/families which really affects how people interact. Meals are a great time for families to come together and have face-to-face verbal and emotional interactions No excuses should be made to have technology during meals.

• No hand-held phone use while driving: Parents are safety role models. Not only does cell phone use cause accidents while driving, but you are essentially giving your children permission to text, email, and call when they drive. You’ll set a good example for your children while keeping them safe.

• Responsibility first social media second: Social media can be addiction for both parents and children, so the rule for all people in a family around chores, school, work or other responsibilities is social media has its time and place, and that time and place is after all responsibilities have been taken care of. Phones and computers may be needed for work or school, but Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook are not typically necessary to effectively perform our responsibilities.

• Permanence of the online world: Teenagers are especially risky in what they share in text or online with selfies, nearly nude or fully nude photos and in all the ways they speak online or in text. In the moment our kids are not thinking anyone would ever share or blackmail them with pictures or conversations they have had online or in text but it happens more frequently then they expect.