Screen Addiction

It's slowly molding and silently destroying our lives.

Sounds drastic, but most of us can't live without them. They’ve become an extension of us.

Addiction to screen time is becoming more common.

The dynamic of parent and child is changing.

I’m not happy about it.

Don't worry. I'm not going to tell you to get off your phone. I will tell you it's time to be smarter about how you use it.

Here's some facts that will catch your attention as a dad:

The underlying issues that stem from screen addiction are:

Obesity

Mood swings

Uncontrolled anxiety

Here is screen addiction by the numbers:

• Kids and teens between the ages of 8 to 28 spend about 44.5 hours each week in front of digital screens.

• About 23% of kids and teens have reported that they actually feel as if they have addictions to video games. That's 31% of males and 13% of females.

So how do we begin to deal with the problem?

Here are 3 ways to combat screen addiction:

1. Tech-Free Zone

Let's start small

Pick a space in your home where all electronic devices can be put down during important family functions or just to get a small reset.

You can use a basket during dinner or a cabinet when having a family movie night.

Pick a Tech-Free Zone and let's get some of our valuable time back.

2. Screen Free

As long as a mobile phone is within reach it will always be a task to not get glued to it.

So here's a better option:

Why not “screen-free time”?

Screen-free time can be adjusted to not having a phone for an hour, a day, a weekend, or even a few days. Screen-free time gives you options and freedom all in one.

What could you accomplish with a little screen-free time?

3.“The Unplugged Ritual”

Cutting away from tech can be hard.

Here’s a habit we started in our home:

My son has an actual notification on his mobile phone to get off his phone at 8:10 p.m. on weeknights. He has 25 minutes to unwind and read one of his favorite books before going to bed.

Let’s make sure we’re fighting screen addiction by screening addictive behaviors.

Your family’s well-being is counting on it.