More and more my patients are becoming addicted to their devices. I am concerned that their communication and social skills may be stifled. We are who we are in a large part by what we do. Children and adults who spend hours on devices miss opportunities and to grow as individuals. 

It is best to limit exposure to the internet and social media. There’s a false narrative of what’s real. Unfortunately it is not the curators of the net to assume that responsibility.  As parents and as families it is our role to take over responsibility. 

5 Tips for Parents

Keep devices out of kids’ bedrooms.

Set up online firewalls and data cutoffs.

Create a device contract. 

Model healthy device behaviors.

Consider old-school flip phones for your kids.

Taken from:  Is Your Kid Hooked on Smartphones? 5 Tips for Parents

Our minds can be hijacked’: the tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia