The average teenager constructs the lion’s share of their self-image through social media, attributing the number of likes, shares, views, and retweets they receive to their self-worth.
Aside from the fact
that social media is designed to be as addictive as possible, teenagers
have a harder time than any other age group resisting the pull of their
glowing screens as their devices have become the primary way they
interact with their friends and with the world.
This is not ideal, but it remains the current reality.
Bullying has ramped up in frequency and intensity since the advent of the personal cell phone and all of its networking capabilities. It’s much easier for people to spout obscenities, insults, and vengeful remarks that they would almost never verbalise in person from the comfort and safety of their bedroom using their cell phone.
So what can you do as a parent of a technologically addicted teenager to prevent them from developing undesirable and harmful behaviours?
Let’s start with how your teenager is likely obtaining a cell phone in the first place, from you. Be wise about when to allow your children to have their own phone. It is very clear that letting young children or even pre-teens – have their own smartphone is not good.
Readily available Internet access in the pocket of a child will inevitably result in detrimental behaviours and habits. There are cell phones available that do not have internet access and have no app-downloading capabilities. Advertisement
Consider a device like that first. Wait until you feel it’s appropriate to purchase a smartphone for your teen.
Remember that if you want to prevent your teen from becoming addicted, you must practice cell phone use in moderation to lead by example. If you’re glued to your phone for eight hours a day, there’s no way your teenager is going to do anything but the same.
Try and foster an environment where more time is spent doing useful, responsible things and less time waiting for more likes to appear on a Facebook post. Plan family trips and activities. Replace device time with “real life-time”.
What interests does your teenager have?
Provide
opportunities for them to have experiences related to their interests.
This will disintegrate cell phone attachment as much as anything else.
Don’t pay for it
If
your teenager wants a cell phone, require them to obtain one with their
own money. Smartphones are not cheap nor are the data plans. Encourage
responsibility by inviting them to get a job and pay for these things
themselves.
Working for something you want is a life skill that they’ll have to learn eventually. They should learn this as early as possible. Teach them about going over on data usage and that they’ll have to pay more of their own money if they aren’t responsible. If they break their phone, don’t pay for it. If they want a case, don’t pay for it. Let them fund these things themselves.
