{"id":8203,"date":"2018-08-01T13:01:23","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T12:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screentimelabs.com\/?p=8203"},"modified":"2022-03-18T05:18:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T05:18:20","slug":"your-teens-may-want-help-curbing-their-smartphone-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/screentimelabs.com\/blog\/your-teens-may-want-help-curbing-their-smartphone-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Teens May Want Help Curbing Their Smartphone Use"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Group

Teens love their phones, but they might need help putting them down.<\/p><\/div>\n

Stop It Before It Happens<\/strong><\/p>\n

The simplest method is, especially if your teen is about to get their first smartphone, just to stop the problem before it starts. Use tools like Android and iPhone parental controls to block certain apps, set specific rules about when the phone can be used and for what purposes, and have clear and fair punishments in place when those rules are violated that you can enforce, like deleting apps and no phone at bedtime.<\/p>\n

Have An Honest Talk<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first step is to give your teen some perspective. For example, if they’re checking an app or playing a game to the point it interferes with their homework, their job, and their social life, you should ask them about why this is. One important discussion to have is about the \u201cSkinner box,\u201d the infamous psychological experiment where a rat was put in a cage with a button that occasionally dispensed a treat, and which taught the rat to keep hitting the button, to the detriment of everything else.<\/p>\n

Some argue certain apps are like these boxes, and while the science is more complicated with the human mind, it’s not a bad analogy. Social media and games offer us a small reward, such as a like or a powerup, and we keep playing. Once we become aware of the cycle, we can fight it.<\/p>\n

\"Young