'Phones are made to be addictive': How to limit your children’s screen time
Tablets, computers and cellphones can take a toll on children’s mental health.
However, there are some steps parents can take to help their kids avoid cyberbullying and dependence on screen time.
“When I think about the risks of cellphone use for mental health, I think we’ve got to have these conversations with our kids,” said Angela Taylor, Founder and CEO of Inspire Community Outreach, in an interview on Monday.
To get your kids off of their phones, Taylor said it’s helpful for parents to lead by example and take some time to put away their cellphones.
“Cellphones are made to be addictive. So we need to have these conversations,” Taylor said.
“It’s not about us telling our child, ‘You can’t do the things,” and then we’re doing them ourselves. It’s about modelling.”
Another impactful way to limit your child’s screen time is to put parameters around the amount of time they are allowed to spend on their phones, tablets and computers.
Instead of unlimited screen time, Taylor recommends looking for other ways to help your kids feel connected.
“Phones are made to be addictive, because they are made to be connected and our brains are wired for connection,” she said.
“We have to have other ways to feed that need or we will feel very sticky on grabbing our phone and being curious [about] what kind of notifications are there.”
When having conversations with your kids about these risks, Taylor said to make sure your kids know they can come to you about anything. She also recommends that parents check their kids’ devices.
“It is scary. We want to protect our kids. They’re everything,” she said.
For parents and caregivers trying to decide whether to give their child a cellphone, Taylor said there’s no perfect time, but every situation is different. She added that sometimes kids may need cellphones for safety reasons or to be able to contact their parents at certain times.
“Every family makes decisions that are best for them and families are the experts in what’s best,” she said.
- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.