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Making Smart Phone Management a Family Affair Can Be Empowering

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By: Dr. Marisa Azaret
February 20, 2025


While there is much focus nationally on the topic of teen addiction to smart phone use, a December 2024 study suggests that today’s parents are also challenged in managing their own use of these devices. A Harmony Healthcare IT survey (Phone Screen Time Addiction & Usage - New Survey Data & Statistics) finds that adults in the US spend five hours and 16 minutes on their phone screens each day – a 14 percent increase from the previous year. In short, adults on average spend more than 36 hours per week, a full day and a half, looking at their phone screens.

Excessive time on phone screens affects people of all ages and is associated with sleep issues, anxiety, eye strain and headaches. It also interferes with other healthful pursuits, such as exercising, and socializing with family and friends.

Even as parents themselves spend hours per day on phone screens, they are concerned about their teen’s phone use. A Pew Research Center study found that four in 10 parents report that arguments with teens over excessive smart phone use are regular occurrences. An equal number of parents reported having trouble managing their child’s screen use, with the percentage of those affected increasing to nearly 50 percent among higher income households ($75K +).

Tackling the Challenge Together

Imposing phone limits on teens is a common parental strategy. Yet limits can be difficult to enforce and are often a source of family conflict. Being open about your own dependence on phones and working together with your teen to find shared solutions might be the secret sauce for family success.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Challenge yourself and your teen to come up with ideas to reduce reliance on phones. Talk about your own challenges in managing phone use and how excessive dependence can affect health and emotions.

  • One answer to late night use of smart phones by parents and teens alike can be to charge all phones overnight in a common area of the house, rather than individual bedrooms. If everyone surrenders their phone at bedtime it can enhance sleep and eliminate distractions. Also, make sure notifications are silenced so that phones do not cause nighttime distraction (see the article from Parents magazine: Experts Answer Top Questions Parents Have About Phones.)

  • Seek family agreement that daily or weekly family activities be device-free. Meals, meal preparation, family game nights, weekend outings to parks or other attractions can all be free of device checking and scrolling.

  • To enrich family time together, work with your teen to develop conversation themes for mealtime. These can include asking everyone to describe their perfect day, share best and worst parts of the day gone by, favorite memories, music and movies and more. Involving everyone in dialogue can reduce the temptation to rush through meals to reengage with phones.

  • Decide together on a regular family activity or activities (bowling, pickleball, indoor rock climbing, walking or bike riding) and come up with a schedule to implement these activities regularly.

  • Plan together for weekend activities where phone-checking is limited. Activities can include visits to family or friends, historic sites, parks and more.

 Dr. Marisa Azaret is Director of Clinical Psychology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Co-Chair of the Digital Safety Alliance. If your child is experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or other behavioral disorders, it may be time to seek professional help. Contact the Nicklaus Children’s Psychology Team at: 305-669-6503.