Family Digital Detox: Simple Ways to Reduce Screen Time Together

The rise of social media and gadgets has parents worried as iPads, gaming consoles, and even smartphones have become the “yayas” for their kids. More studies have been showing how screen time badly affects their kids in both attitude and even skills, but even then, as parents, we can’t just drop the gadget when all our work is tied to it!

But here’s the thing. Kids learn by example and if we want our kids to go on a digital detox, we have to go on one too!

Here are ways families can reduce their and their kids’ screen time with less drama:

1. Disconnect the internet temporarily — even just for a few hours

The internet is the gateway to another world. It’s why we’re so easily consumed by it. With all the funny reels and videos, we forget how much time we spend scrolling on our phones. But the opposite can happen—the more we scroll, the worse our moods get.

Even more so when all we see is bad news! Many call that doom-scrolling, or the act of mindlessly scrolling through content that gets worse as we go.

To prevent that, we need to pull the plug out of the modem—temporarily. Every modem comes with a power cable and pulling it out won’t reset the password. Once we disconnect the internet, we won’t have any reason to stick to our phones, iPads, or computers anymore.

2. Take away the charger, not just the gadget.

Most parents punish their kids by taking away the gadget, but if you think about it, it’s more terrifying to take away the charger. The more they use their smartphones, the more they’ll watch with horror as the battery drops. They’ll beg for the charger, but we got to stand our ground.

If we don’t do that, they’ll just keep using the gadget. And without anything to charge them after, they’ll eventually put it down to preserve the battery. Just don’t forget where we put those chargers because we might need them later!

3. Create a screen-free play space at home

Kids love video games because it’s a space where they can do anything they dream of. But having a large space to play and explore can be hard, even more so if we live in a condo. There’s not much room to go running around!

And although there are common areas within the complex, some of us may not be fond of using it for security reasons. Other condos also usually limit the time on how long that space remains open.

Instead, keep one room—usually the living room—open with no breakables so that your kids can move around. It’s also good for us because, with less clutter, there’s less for us to clean!

4. Replace screen time with a hobby your child genuinely enjoys

Gadgets are like sugar to kids and coffee for adults. They make any person high and happy with whatever content it presents. So if we’re going on a digital detox, we need an exciting hobby to replace that.

Sports like soccer, dancing, and even martial arts are perfect for kids who just can’t sit still. They’re fully immersive and require split-second decisions—which is the same “high” they get from playing video games on their gadgets!

5. Get out of the city and explore somewhere new together

Once we live long enough in a city, we can get bored—which is why we’re stuck to our gadgets. Although it may cost a bit to travel back and forth, it’s worth the investment because our family gets to see what’s “out there.” It doesn’t always have to be somewhere high-end; even going through the little hidden food gems on the outskirts of the metro will do.

Besides, your kids will soon appreciate the difference between a simulated situation and the real deal. We also get to judge for ourselves if those restaurants we’ve scrolled past or read about a few times are worth going to—while spending some much-needed quality time with family!

Your Family Controls Technology — Not the Other Way Around

There are many studies about the negative effects of technology and social media that we forget that those gadgets don’t just walk up to our kids and say “Hey, play with me!” If anything, we sometimes hand those gadgets to our kids because we have something to attend to.

And while there’s nothing wrong with doing so, we also have to balance that out by reducing their screen time, talking to them, and spending quality time with them after we’re done.

Although it’s tempting to get more things done when we’re on a roll of ticking things off our laundry list of things to do, our kids can only be distracted for so long. Remember that although gadgets are there to streamline things, they can never replace the experience of being with family.