When I get a DM like this it totally makes my day!
I talk about this stuff so parents will understand why not to take their kid’s phone away, and how to work out the power struggles in different ways.
I post Reels on Instagram (begrudgingly) because the algorithm, supposedly, pushes out that form of content to more accounts. It’s difficult to do alone. It takes too much time and energy. But a gem of a message like this encourages me to keep going.
I speak at schools, to parent groups, homeschooling conferences, health and wellness community centers, faith centers, and other venues to talk with parents and kids about getting along better in a world with 4 Billion digital devices in hands, pockets, purses.
No one is an expert on how to balance digital time with analog time–digital life and time IRL.
No one.
Kids on the whole are not using their phones more than parents, and more than 60% of parents admit they are districted by their phone while parenting.
What we have is a failure to communicate about digital device use.
Let’s not wait “a couple decades” before we begin to understand how kids feel about their phones.
Instead of threatening to take away our kids’ phones, let’s ask why they think they’ll die without their phone.
Let’s ask them…What do you do most while on your phone? Is it helping or harming you? How do you feel when you use certain apps? Does using your phone too much ever make you feel physically, emotionally or mentally drained?
Parents, let’s ask ourself: How self-aware are we?
