Hi IMs! I have two teenage girls aged 14 and 17 who spend 95% of their days on their devices. I know this is very normal for this day and age but I’m curious to know if anyone has any rules and restrictions for their teenagers around managing screen time? I don’t want to be a controlling mum and we’ve discussed and mutually decided on how to limit ourselves but they often follow these guidelines for a week and then revert back to normal. I also have a toddler that keeps me distracted and busy to follow up; so my teenagers use this to their advantage! Most weekends, My 17 year old stays up till 2am, FaceTiming her friends and I feel like a non understanding mum when I growl and ask her to get off and go to bed. I’m considering collecting all devices at 8pm and putting it away until the next day because they clearly can’t be trusted to self manage responsibly, do you think I’m going too far? Thanks in advance for reading and sharing your advice!
3 Replies
I think it depends on the teenager. I allow my 16 year old son to self regulate. He will still get up the next day and be able to function, even if he’s up late. My 14 year old son, on the hand, would be a zombie if I didn’t enforce screen time limits at night. Screen time limits come into effect at 9.30pm and I still need to drag him out of bed at 7am so he can get ready for school. In the past I’ve let him have unlimited access when at his father’s (50/50 shared care), as it’s not my responsibility if he’s not getting up for school, but he then comes back to me absolutely exhausted and with the attitude to match.
I’m *that* mum.
My teens are similar ages to yours. With their phones they come home from school and they are put on the kitchen bench. If they want to check messages they can as they please but they aren’t allowed to ‘play’ on their phones all night. They remain on the bench until morning.
With other devices;
Computer during the week is for school work only. Saturday no limit.
Gaming consul - 2 hours on alternating nights during the week. Friday 2 hours each. Saturday no limit but they need to share so it’s usually 4 hours each.
They do not have any social media accounts.
Sunday is tech free day so there is no ph, computer, or gaming.
As a parent my kids don’t have phones and these posts shock me that parents would even allow kids this much time. Their whole lives are being taken away by this technology and social media.teens riddled with anxiety and isolate themselves, it’s shocking. My friends teens are all suffering so bad and can’t cope in life after spending so much time on phones. You are mum, take back control and for the sake of your kids mental health and future, get them off of it! You are allowing it to destroy them. cut it to evenings only maybe after dinner 7-9 or Something, anything is better then 95% of the time. That is shocking.