Responding to parents’ concerns, the OVS Parent Club recently hosted a healthy tech habit talk led by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Julie Frumin.
Technology has a strong impact on many children, and in this day and age, parents struggle with how to limit technology use for children. Technology often harms developing children and regularly leads to mental health issues.
Frumin began giving talks to parents and students about healthier ways to manage screen time and technology use in the fall of 2023. She suggests parents discuss boundaries and talk about the effects of technology with their children.
“I always recommend that parents start with sleep,” Frumin said. “We see decreases in sleep quantity and quality when we have devices in our bedrooms.”
As a parent, she hoped to offer advice and educate parents on this daunting issue that consumes the lives of their children.
Many kids are being introduced to cell phones and social media at a young age which is affecting their day-to-day lives. Children are beginning to have less and less in-person interactions with each other and more time online.
“The way kids’ lives have changed is dramatic” Frumin said. “We can live in a world with technology in a healthier way. But we need to be intentional about it and informed about how to do it.”
OVS parent Tamara Davis is very supportive of the message in Frumin’s talk and attended the healthier tech habits talk. Davis is a parent of two Lower Campus studenets and an author who published a novel Despite the Buzz on technology use.
“Being a mom and educator, I wrote the novel as a way to explore and speak up for causes I care about.” Davis said. “I approached the project from a place of curiosity, compassion, and concern regarding tech’s influence and other timely topics.”.
Davis instills many rules in her household pertaining to technology for her children. She also implements alternatives such as a home phone so her children can communicate with their friends.
“I think parents can encourage responsible tech use by going over household rules and expectations for when kids are away from home,” Davis said. “I believe it is wise to wait to get children’s cell phones and smart to delay the allowance of apps, such as social media.”
Frumin agrees with slowly introducing technology to children and limiting their access and instilling a set amount of time and ways they can use it. She believes postponing a child’s access to a cell phone and social media is crucial to their development and prosperous mental health.
“It is incredibly beneficial to go slow when it comes to technology,” Frumin said. “There is an increase in positive mental health outcomes for each year we delay getting our child a smartphone. We also have solid data showing that waiting as long as possible before allowing social media has enormous mental health benefits as well.”
Monitoring what children are viewing on social media and the internet can be challenging and confusing. Apple provides many restrictions that can be placed on children’s devices to monitor and restrict what children can access.
“Another aspect of teaching involves having many conversations with your children about what they are seeing online.”Frumin said. “Parents need to check in frequently with their kids and ask what it is that is working for them in their online lives as well as what may be confusing or upsetting.”