Android Parental Tip#5: Don’t Let Smartphone Addiction Take a Toll on Your Child

Smartphones are no longer a luxury they are becoming a necessity.  Smartphone addiction is on the rise, not only teenagers but adults are also more or less addicted to their phones. If you’re a parent of a teen you are a first-hand witness of the fact that teens take their phone everywhere with them and do nothing without it. Doesn’t matter if they are walking, talking, eating, studying, or in the bathroom their necks are bent and their faces lit with the glow of their phone/tab screen.

Do you know, 67% of teens admit to being highly addicted to their phones, 60% of teens are nomophobic, which is the fear of being without their phone? It is also the leading cause of sleep deprivation in teens which leads to stress, bad memory, obesity, poor grades, and  even depression. So why are you letting your teen fall into the well of mental and bodily sickness? Before you get up to take away your teen’s phone, sit back and read further as there is a way you can reduce their smartphone addiction without being overprotective.

Reducing Screen Time:

Controlling your teen’s screen time can be a very effective way to stop them from becoming a cell phone addict. The first step you can do is to communicate with them. The solution to every problem starts with communication; make it very clear to not use their phones during meal times, study hours and sleep time. The chances that they will listen to you are less, but it’s worth a try at least when you move to the next step they won’t be able to say you didn’t give them a fair chance.

Remotely Lock The Phone:

Many parental apps would give you the option to keep an eye on your teen’s activities, but none of them besides FamilyTime Android app, allows you to remotely lock their phone. Yes, you heard it! You can go to your parent Dashboard and lock their phone with just one tap. After you disable their phone, it can only be enabled by the activation code you’ll receive, which has to be entered in the child app. It is that simple. You have the control to when they can and cannot use their phones.

Use this feature to lock their phones whenever you want, i.e. study hours, meal and sleep times. They will protest at first, but once you make it clear that these rules are not going to change, they will make peace with it- eventually. After sometime when they are used to this routine they will grow out of this addiction and will be able to manage their daily routines more effectively. Problem solved!

Don’t Parent Hard- Parent Smart!

You would’ve heard a phrase repeatedly throughout your life- excess of everything is bad. Teach your kids and never see them obsess over something again. It’s not about how hard you try to develop healthy habits in your child; it is about how you try it. So, shift to smart parenting to make your life more relaxed and parenting more simplified.  Also, develop a habit in your teens of balancing the time they spend using any sort of gadget with other activities. A balanced life is a healthy life!