How to Avoid Technology Addiction
Touro Professor Addresses Risks of Too Much Screen Time and Shares Tips for Parents
Ask almost any parent about their child’s screen time and you will hear concern that it has skyrocketed over the past ten months. While technology can help children (and adults) maintain their friendships and connections during the pandemic, too much digital time can pose risks. Overuse can lead to cyberbullying and harassment for children, depression, anxiety and too little physical exercise for all.
To help keep children healthy and safe, Touro College Graduate School of Social Work professor Dr. Steven Pirutinsky offers advice. “Parents need to work together with their children to manage technology. Every situation is different. Take the time to understand both your child and the technology,” he said. Dr. Pirutinsky’s tips for parents include:
- In conversations, acknowledge the benefits your children get from technology but help them understand the risks involved. Teach them how to maintain their privacy online and avoid sharing personal information. Be a model for this in your own online behavior. Be available to your children in case they encounter harassment or inappropriate content.
- Pay attention. Monitor how much time your child spends online, what they do and how frequently they log on. Monitor your own usage as well and try to cut down if you notice overuse or constant urge to check social media feeds, texts and emails.
- Work with your child to set guidelines for technology use. Establish limits for when and where technology should be used. Consider making mealtimes screen-free times and bedrooms tech-free zones. Set an example by placing your own device in another room before dinner and plugging your device into a charger in the kitchen before going to bed.
- Get your hands dirty. Become familiar with your children’s favorite games, social media and websites. Learn what they enjoy about it but also review the privacy settings and filters.
- Do your homework. Research the parental control and safe search systems that are built into many software programs. Look up age recommendations and use them to set guidelines for your child. Consider putting filters on your own computer and show your children you are practicing what you preach if you decide to do this.
- Help your child develop more diverse social and recreational activities. This may be challenging right now but it is also a chance to creatively strengthen connections. Try a family nature walk, game night or take a group tennis or music lesson. Organize a socially distant outdoor playdate. Get together with your own friends for a socially distant cup of coffee and talk about it with your children.
- Watch for warning signs in your children. Seek professional help if you see any of these:
- Increasing and persistent use of technology, leading to social withdrawal
- Intense temper tantrums when technology is taken away
- Disengagement from other activities particularly those they previously enjoyed
