April’s biggest pain point as a parent right now is monitoring the screen time of her 8 and half year old son and 11 year daughter. Her desire for her children to have a healthy relationship with technology bumps up against their need for “just one more minute” on the Ipad or TV. Sooner than later, arguments over completing video games and watching shows break out and the family is beyond frustrated.

Today we examine the family rules around screen time and discuss how April can shift her approach by teaching her kids a long term lesson on time management and owning their responsibilities. I suggest having an important but relaxed conversation with the kids to create a sense of support, empathy and clear communication. I advise that instead of having rules dictated to them, the kids can actually help set those limits themselves. I offer specific tools that April and the family can start implementing immediately such as kitchen timers, a log for recording screen time activity and a planner so the kids can manage their own schedules and make decisions on when they should or shouldn’t be online. The goal is to create a long term sustainable plan and get April out of the business of being the screen time monitor!