5 Ways To Reduce Mobile Addiction Among Children

There is no doubt that we live in the modern age of technology and “devices”. Years ago, when my son was little more than a year old, he could access an iPhone without any help. Now my children seem to be addicted to playing games on any device they can get their hands on, iPods, iPhones, iPads. Even though we have screen rules, they still nag and nag to play games on a cell phone.

It drives me crazy.

They are not alone. More and more people, adults, teens and kids spend hours and hours on mobile devices. You know what? I know about it, I know how addictive they are, I try hard to restrict my own phone use but at times I find myself reaching for it just because I’m bored. I too am hooked to my phone.

So how do you find balance? How can you balance allowing your kids time to play on mobile devices without it taking over? Without your kids getting addicted to playing on your Phone?

* Do not do everything on one device

A smartphone can replace today’s books, newspapers, magazines, MP3 player, camera, TV, game console, computer, and many other useful things. Plus, it gives you broader opportunities that the previous generations didn’t have. But it doesn’t mean that we have to let it replace everything.

* When you switch between different activities it is good both for your brain and body

This approach makes your life more versatile. And you will be not that much addicted to one device because your likes and feelings will be shared between many different things. Family dinner or an important meeting is not the best place for you to use your smartphone.

* Limit your screen time

Installing parental control app on your device will be a great support for this. If you feel like you might be addicted to your phone, parental control will be of great help for you to become more self-disciplined and self-controlled in this area.

* Disable notifications

You just reach out your smartphone to check another notification and it turns into half-hour scrolling of news feed. Are you familiar with that? That’s because alerts are addictive and you even don’t notice how you’re drawn to them. If you turn the notifications off, you won’t have a temptation to check another notice. In case you’re afraid to miss something important, start with turning the sound off.

* Establish phone-free periods each day

Let’s be honest, we don’t need the phone around all the time. So why not to get rid of the device during dinner, while watching a film or talking to your family. Schedule your phone use and arrange phone-free periods. Put the phone off when you’re busy with something else. For instance, you may not check the phone while making dinner in the afternoon or spending time with your family in the afternoon. This easy trick will reduce distraction and you’ll see how quickly you become less addicted to your phone.